One Small Change
by GitaMerah
Summary: One small change is all it takes to change their entire future. Nine never regenerates at the Game Station. Instead, he and Rose continues on to have the adventure they never thought they would ever have. AU after Game Station. Not a rewrite. Nine/Rose.
1. Chapter 1

This story will be AU starting from the Game Station &amp; on. This isn't a rewrite, meaning I won't be following every single episode. I will do a few that I deem necessary to the plot, but it will be completely different from canon and might happen out of order. Most of the adventures will be original, though.

I'll be honest and say that this story has no ending planned. It's meant to be Nine &amp; Rose's happy ending, which means it will continue on and on and hopefully, span into a long saga. We'll probably never get to Ten (sorry, David fans. I love him and all, but Nine needs his happy ending too).

I won't say what all the pairings are, but I plan on including Tegan/Marriner sometime in the future (my other OTP!). There'll be other companions too, both past and future, but not everyone will be there. There will be no Amy, Rory, or River in this story. Sorry.

To those of you following A Ripple In Time, don't worry. It's still being updated. I'm not giving up on that one.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Doctor Who. If I did, Rose would have stayed and made lots and lots of Time Babies with the Doctor. Since this is (sadly) not the case, clearly, I am not affiliated with Doctor Who in any way, shape or form. I'm not making any money out of this, either.

**Chapter 1**

"The power's going to kill you and it's my fault!" The Doctor's eyes filled with anguish as he looked at the woman who had come to mean everything to him. Before meeting her, he was nothing more than a battle-scarred old man, too weary to keep going but unable to stop. And then she came along and suddenly, life seemed worth living again. He had her presence to ease his loneliness, her smile to wipe away his pain, and her voice of reason to calm his anger. She became his anchor. His reason for living.

How was he supposed to go on without her?

"I can see everything. All that is, all that was, all that ever could be," Rose said as her eyes glowed gold.

_Then why can't you see that I can't live without you? If you die, I'll die with you. Can't you see that, Rose?_

"Doctor…" Rose spoke in an anguished tone. Tears ran down her cheeks. Her eyes were glazed, but they were darting to and fro, as if she was seeing images that she alone could see.

"Rose, you have to let go," he begged. His hearts were pounding with worry. He had never been more scared in his entire life. Time was running out for his Rose. She needed to let go of the time vortex. _Now_. Before it burned her.

"My head." Rose winced all of the sudden.

The Doctor's eyes widened. _Time's run out_. He had to get the power out of her. _Now_.

But Rose still wasn't letting go.

The Doctor swallowed hard. There was only one thing left he could do. It would kill him, but it's the only way to save her.

"Come here." He took a step towards her, hoping that she would let him do what he now knew he must do.

For awhile, it looked as if she would let him. But suddenly, her eyes widened, as if she had just realized something.

"No." Rose looked at the Doctor steadfastly.

"You're going to burn, Rose! And it's my fault! Rose…" The Doctor's voice shook with fear. If she didn't let go soon, she would die. "Rose, you've got to stop this. Let me stop it."

"I can't…" Rose's tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "I can't lose you again, Doctor."

"I'm not going anywhere, Rose. I'm right here."

"But I'll never see you again. _This_ you." Rose looked at him sadly.

_What?_ The Doctor looked at her in surprise and confusion. What did she mean, '_This_ you'? Surely she couldn't mean regeneration? He hadn't even told her about that. How could she know?

"But I'll still be here, Rose. Still me, even if the outside changes." The Doctor took a gamble and hoped she was just talking about regeneration.

"But the next you, he'll leave me behind. On that blasted beach," Rose spoke with pain in her eyes. There was sadness there that he had never seen before and never wished to see in her eyes again.

_Beach? What beach?_ The Doctor frowned in confusion. She said she could see everything. Was she talking about the future? Before he could ask, Rose suddenly closed her eyes and exhaled the golden energy from the time vortex from her mouth.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he watched the energy flow out of Rose and back into the TARDIS. His hearts began to pound with nervous hope. She was finally letting go, but would it work? Could she get it all out on her own?

As the last of the energy left Rose, the golden glow around her disappeared. Rose's eyes drifted shut and she swayed on her feet. The Doctor rushed to catch her before she fell unconscious.

oOo

Rose blinked awake. She looked around and saw that she was back in her bed on the TARDIS. She rubbed her head and yawned. She felt as if she had just come out of a very long and complicated dream, but when she tried to recall them, memories of the dream kept fleeing from her conscious mind. Try as she might, she couldn't remember a single thing from the dream.

Wait… why was she dreaming in the first place? When did she go to bed? The last thing she remembered was being with Mickey in the ball park. No, wait… she went somewhere after that ball park… did she?

Blimey, her head felt like it was filled with cotton. Her memories were sort of hazy. Her mind was filled with hazy memories of singing and lots of golden light, but that's probably from the dream she had just now. Did she go back to the TARDIS and go into her old room? Why would she do that?

Her bedroom door slid open, revealing the Doctor with a worried expression on his face. When he saw that she was awake, his eyes widened.

"Rose!" He cried out with obvious relief as he rushed to her bedside.

"Doctor?" Rose looked at him in confusion. How could he be here? She could have sworn she'd left him back at the Game Station (or, more accurately, he tricked her into going back to the TARDIS and sent her and the ship back to London _without_ him). Or did she remember that wrong? Or was it all a dream?

Rose propped herself up on her bed. The Doctor quickly placed his hand on her back to help her sit up.

"What happened?" She asked while searching her memories for any gaps.

"Don't you remember?" He asked as he sat on the edge of her bed. He looked at her with a strange, cautious look in his eyes. Why was he looking at her like that? Was there something wrong with her?

"I was at home. No, I wasn't. I was in the TARDIS." Rose frowned a she tried to remember. There were flashes of memories of both the ballpark and the TARDIS, but they were all in a jumbled mess, she couldn't make out which memory came first.

The Doctor said nothing. He looked at her expectantly, as if he was patiently waiting for her to remember more.

"But… didn't you stay behind at the Game Station?" Rose asked.

"That's right. I stayed." He nodded.

Rose's eyes widened. So her memory _was_ correct! At that realization, she glared at him and thwacked his arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" The Doctor rubbed his arm and pouted.

"You tricked me into going home!" Rose glared at him.

"And I'd do it again if I had to!"

"I would've stayed with you. I _wanted_ to stay with you."

"I know." He looked away guiltily.

"Doctor." She placed a hand on his cheek and turned his face towards her. "I wouldn't have wanted you to face them alone."

Sadness filled his eyes. "And let you die with me? I couldn't do that, Rose. Not to you."

"And you think I would've been happy staying home, watching telly, eating beans on toast, knowing you're out here, dying, on your own?"

"You'd be alive."

"It's not a life I would have wanted to live."

"It's better than dying with me."

She touched his cheek again, her thumb absent-mindedly caressing the harsh lines on his face. "I chose this life with you, Doctor. For better or for worse, I'm never going to leave you. Even if it means dying with you."

He placed his hand over hers and let out a trembling breath. "Don't die my sake, Rose. I'm not worth it."

"But you are. You're worth everything," Rose said while looking at him intently. She wished he could see how much he meant to her. She couldn't imagine living a life without him next to her. When he sent her home, it felt as if half of her soul was torn away from her. She couldn't breathe, eat, or sleep without worrying about him and wishing he was still with her.

The Doctor looked at her with something akin to awe in his eyes. He touched her cheek almost reverently. Rose's heart fluttered in her chest. He looked at her with such intensity that it made her feel as if all he could see in his eyes was her. As if she was the only woman in the universe to him.

"Rose?"

"Hm?"

"I'm going to kiss you."

Rose's breath caught. Did he just…? Did she hear that right?

"That alright?" He asked with uncertainty in his eyes.

"Yeah." Rose replied breathlessly as her heart began to pound. Then, she smiled. "Yeah. More than alright."

The Doctor's eyes brightened. His eyes shuttered close as he leaned his head towards her. Very gently, he brushed his lips against hers. He pulled away slightly and rested his forehead against hers.

"I almost lost you," he said with a shuddering breath.

"I'm here now. You're never going to get rid of me," she said with a smile.

"Wouldn't want to." He grinned. "You're stuck with me, now."

"No one else I'd rather be stuck with." She grinned back at him.

He grinned, then captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Rose leaned into his kiss returned his kiss with equal fervor. He nibbled gently on her lower lip, tasting her while his hands roamed down her side and slip under the hem of her shirt.

Rose's breath caught as his hand roamed higher and brushed the edge of her bra. The Doctor paused and looked at her hesitantly.

"This alright?" He asked.

Instead of answering, she grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him in for another kiss. Emboldened by this, the Doctor toyed with the edges of her bra and slipped his fingers underneath. Rose bit back a moan when she felt his hand brush the tip of her breasts.

He pulled her shirt and bra off, then paused and raked his gaze over her with desire clearly written in his eyes.

"Did I pass your inspection, Doctor?" Rose grinned with the tip of her tongue peeking out.

"With flying colors." He grinned before pushing her down onto the mattress. He kissed her fervently and slowly nibbled his way down her neck and onto her shoulders. He left a trail of wet kisses as he made his way down. When he reached her nipples, he gave a tentative lick. Rose moaned and arched into his mouth.

As he sucked on her nipples, his other hand trailed down and slipped underneath her knickers. Rose's heart began to pound as his fingers brushed against her clit. With swift strokes, he massaged her clit and pushed a finger into her. She moaned and bucked against his hand. The Doctor groaned at the sound, sending delicious ripples down her nipples as he sucked on and teased them.

"Doctor…" She pleaded. She was close. Oh, so close.

He paused and pulled away from her. Rose felt bereft at the sudden loss of his touch. The smug grin on his face told her he knew exactly how close she was. _Bastard_.

"Jacket. Off. _Now_." Rose glared at him with a haze of lust in her eyes while she tugged his leather jacket off his shoulders.

"So bossy." He grinned as he helped her take his jacket off.

"You want bossy? I'll give you bossy. Take off your clothes and fuck me right now or I'll finish it off myself."

"Yes, Mistress." He grinned in amusement as he took the rest of his clothes off and rejoined her back in bed.

Rose smiled smugly. Never let it be said that you can't train an old Time Lord.

He pulled off her knickers and trousers, then positioned himself between her legs. Rose's breath caught when she felt his erection nudge against her. He looked into her eyes and kept his gaze on her as he slowly pushed in. Rose gasped at the jolt of pleasure she felt as he slid in and out of her.

"Rose…" He moaned as he increased his rhythm. Delicious friction sent waves of pleasure down her core. She could feel her orgasm building once more.

"So close… Doctor…"

"Oh, Rose," he moaned breathlessly. He trailed his hand down and massaged her clit while he pumped in and out of her. A shuddering pleasure enveloped her. Rose couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips as she bucked against him.

He groaned as her walls tightened around him. His motion grew frenzied.

The Doctor moaned as he felt his own orgasm wash over him. He bucked his hips as he spilled inside her.

They both stilled as they calmed their breaths. He smiled and rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you," he whispered breathlessly.

She leaned forward and kissed his lips, then answered, "I love you, Doctor. Always."

He smiled, then slowly slid out of her and laid next to her on the bed. Exhausted, the two lovers slowly closed their eyes and drifted to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Rose woke up nestled in a cocoon of warmth. She felt an unfamiliar weight on her waist. She opened her eyes curiously and realized that the Doctor had spooned her in his sleep with his arm wrapped possessively around her. She smiled, then blushed as memories of what they'd done earlier replayed in her mind. A yawn escaped her mouth. Rose stretched, but paused when she felt his arm tighten around her.

Smiling, she turned around in his arms to face him. His blue eyes cracked open.

"Alright?" He mumbled sleepily.

"Mm-hmm." Rose smiled and snuggled into his bare chest. "Mmm. I could get used to this."

His arm tightened around her.

"You could. If… if you want." His voice shook nervously.

"Hm?" Rose looked up at him in confusion.

"You could, I don't know… sleep with me from now on?" He looked at her unsurely. It was the same look he gave her when he first asked her to travel with him that day they met.

Rose smiled. Instead of answering, she reached up and kissed his lips.

"Is that a yes?" He said with a grin.

"Oh, yes." Rose answered with a matching grin.

His grin widened. He flipped her over and hovered over her. Then, he bent his head down and captured her lips in his.

It would be another hour before either of them deigned to get out of bed.

oOo

When they did finally get out of bed, the Doctor all but dragged Rose to the infirmary.

"Doctor, I'm _fine_," Rose protested as he hoisted her up onto the examination table.

"I know you are, but I just want to be sure. You _fainted_ Rose," the Doctor said as he dragged a large, curved device to the top of the examination table, then said to Rose, "Now, lay down and stay still."

Rose sighed. She supposed there was no arguing with him when he was being overprotective like this. So, she did as he instructed and watched as he turned on the curved device.

"What's that, anyway?" She asked as the device hummed to life and lifted to a hovering position above her.

"Just a basic scanner. Now, stay still," the Doctor said as the device slowly moved over her. It did a slow pass down to her feet, then a quick one back up before turning itself off again. The Doctor raced to a nearby monitor to look at the results.

Feeling curious, Rose sat up and joined him by the monitor. There, she saw a basic outline of her body and a bunch of those circular writing that she had secretly dubbed as Time Lord alphabet. Then, Rose noticed a faint ghosting of golden fog swirling inside the outline of her body on the monitor.

"What's that?" Rose asked while pointing at the golden fog. It wasn't a lot, just a small amount, barely more than a fistful. Had she not been watching closely, she would never have noticed it.

"Traces of radiation from the Time Vortex. You've got a little bit left in you," he answered.

Rose's eyes widened. Radiation? That couldn't be good… could it?

"Is… is that bad?" She asked unsurely.

"I don't see any damage or any signs of neural or tissue degeneration on your body. It's a very small amount, so you should be fine. I'll have to keep checking every few days, just to be sure, so don't complain next time I drag you in here," he eyed her intently.

Rose's shoulders sagged in relief, then asked, "How'd I get that in me?"

The Doctor paused. He turned to look at her and asked, "You remember when you opened the heart of the TARDIS?"

"I…" Rose frowned and searched her memory. She had vague recollections of getting her mother and Mickey to help her with the TARDIS. There was a yellow truck, and then… and then… what happened after that? She couldn't remember. She shook her head and said, "Is that what I did? All I remember is going inside the TARDIS. Mum and Mickey helped me. I don't remember much after that. There was… a yellow truck? And… singing?"

"A yellow truck?" The Doctor looked at her incredulously. "What did you do to my TARDIS?"

"Erm…" Rose shifted from foot to foot guiltily. "I… I don't remember. Sorry."

"Right. Remind me to do maintenance later," the Doctor mumbled quietly. To her, he said, "Remember Blon, the Slitheen?"

"Yeah." Rose nodded.

"The console opened for her. She looked into the time vortex," the Doctor said.

Rose's eyes widened in realization. "Is that what I did?"

The Doctor nodded and added, "You looked into the time vortex, Rose. Took it all in. Almost killed you!"

"I… I'm sorry." Rose hugged herself and looked away in guilt. "I just… I didn't want you to have to face them alone."

The Doctor's expression softened. He sighed and drew her into his arms.

"I sent you away so you'd be safe," he muttered.

"I don't want safe. I want to stay with you," she replied.

"I was going to die, Rose."

Rose stiffened. She had no idea. "But… the delta wave…"

"Didn't have time to refine it. Would've… would've killed everyone," the Doctor said with guilt in his voice.

"Everyone?" Rose looked up at him in disbelief.

"Everyone." His jaws tensed. He looked away from her, though he didn't let her go.

"And the humans?"

"Dead. Everyone on the station and on Earth would've died. There are colonies out there. Enough to continue your species. You would live on, somehow."

He let go and turned away from her completely. Rose slumped onto the examination table as the weight of what almost happened washed over her. _Genocide_. Her Doctor had nearly committed genocide and killed her own people. Billions of human lives nearly died at his hands.

_But he had no choice._

_Didn't he?_

She glanced at the man whom she had trusted from day one. A memory of being stuck in the conference room at Downing Street replayed in her mind:

"_If I don't dare, everyone dies,"_ her Doctor had said back then.

"_Because this is my life, Jackie. It's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will."_

Rose turned to look at the man she loved. That's who he was, a man who had to make decisions no one else wanted to make. It was a choice between her people or the rest of the universe.

_He had no choice_.

She got up and wrapped her arms around him from behind. The Doctor turned to face her with a stunned look in his eyes.

"I love you," she said.

"Even after—"

"Yeah." She tightened her arms around him. "I understand. It's us or the universe. You… you made the right choice."

His muscles gradually relaxed, as if a ton of weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. He buried his face in her hair and let out a long sigh.

"Thank you," he whispered with a shaky voice. Then, with a quiet voice, he spoke, "I couldn't do it, in the end. Too much of a coward. The Daleks would've conquered the Earth and moved on to the rest of the universe and I still couldn't do it."

"S'okay. It's over now, yeah?" Rose muttered comfortingly.

The Doctor nodded. He pulled back slightly and said, "Don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come along, Rose."

"What happened after that? I mean, I opened the TARDIS, and you were about to do the delta wave thingy, then what?" Rose asked.

The Doctor's arms tightened around her, as if he was bracing himself. Then, he let go and answered, "You came back to the Game Station and… and wiped the Daleks out."

Rose's eyes widened. She stared at the Doctor in disbelief. "_I_ wiped them out? But… I can't even kill a cockroach. How could I wipe out an entire Dalek army?"

"You had the entire vortex running through you, Rose. And for that one brief moment, you had control over everything. Life, death, matter. You disintegrated all the Daleks. Down to the very atoms."

"_Disintegrated_?" Rose's eyes widened in shock.

The Doctor tensed, but nodded.

"_All_ of them?" Rose asked with trepidation.

"Yes."

Rose turned away. She wasn't sure how to react to this. She was relieved that the Daleks were gone. But she had committed genocide. She stared at her hands. There was no blood on them, but there might as well be. And to think, not too long ago, she wanted to save that lone Dalek in Van Statten's morbid museum. And now, here she was, murderer of the Dalek race.

"Rose," the Doctor spoke softly as he took her hand in his. He caressed her hand almost reverently, then spoke, "You saved the Earth. All those humans, _safe_. Because of you. You forgave me, now forgive yourself, too. Cause if it weren't for you, we'd all be dead by now."

Rose nodded, but said nothing. Truth be told, it was far easier for her to forgive the Doctor than to forgive herself. She loved him. She would have forgiven him almost anything. But forgiving herself? That's a different story altogether.

"I mean it, Rose. No feeling guilty over this. You saved us. You did the right thing," the Doctor said, then added, "Well… apart from wrecking the TARDIS console and nearly killing yourself in the process."

Rose thwapped him. "I was trying to get back to you! It's not like I know how to pilot the TARDIS." She paused, then looked at him unsurely and asked, "Did I really damage the TARDIS?"

The Doctor grinned. "Nah. Nothing a bit of jiggery pokery won't fix."

Rose sighed in relief. She would've hated to cause permanent damage to this beloved ship. Suddenly, another thought popped in her mind.

"Where's Jack?" Rose asked.

The Doctor stiffened. He looked away and busied himself on the monitor. "Busy. Cleaning up the Game Station."

Rose frowned at him suspiciously. Why was he acting all… shifty? If Jack really was busy rebuilding the Earth, why didn't he say goodbye before leaving?

"I want to see him," Rose said.

The Doctor's jaws tensed.

"Doctor?" She gently laid her hand on his arm. "What's going on? Where's Jack?"

"I told you, he's busy. Stayed behind to help clean up the Game Station," he answered without looking.

"Well, let's go and help him then." Rose frowned. Something's wrong. She could tell by the way the Doctor was acting. What happened to Jack? Oh, God. He didn't die, did he?

The Doctor frowned. Then, his shoulders sagged, as if in defeat. He nodded and led them both out of the infirmary and into the console room. Once there, he began flipping the levers and turning the dials.

"So… are we going back to the Game Station?" Rose asked hopefully.

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded tensely. He spun the wheel and flipped a lever. The TARDIS shook, then shuddered to a halt as she finished her dematerialization sequence.

Rose ran towards the door, but hesitated before opening the door. She turned to the Doctor and asked, "Is it safe out there?"

"Should be. It's only ten minutes after we left. There shouldn't be—" The Doctor swallowed uncomfortably. "Shouldn't be anyone left. Except Jack. Unless he's used his vortex manipulator and left already."

Rose's eyes widened. "What do you mean, there shouldn't be anyone left? What happened to everyone else? What about Lynda? And the station's staff members who went with Jack?"

"Dead. All of them." The Doctor looked away in guilt.

Rose froze in horror. "Lynda too?"

"Yes." He looked away, not daring to look at Rose in the eye, now.

Rose turned away from the door and walked back to him. She placed a hand on his cheek and turned him to face her. "S'not your fault."

"Is it? I told her she'd be safe on the observation deck. Hydra Combination door. Even Daleks would've had trouble getting through that. And you know what they did? Went through the window, instead." The Doctor's eyes were a maelstrom of anger. "I didn't think. I should've sent her away with you."

Rose felt a pang of jealousy at Lynda, then guilt for feeling jealous over a woman who must have died in a violent manner to defend the Earth. Rose hadn't liked how cozy Lynda seemed to be with the Doctor. And now the Doctor— _her_ Doctor —was beating himself up over the woman. Logically, she knew he was angry at himself simply because he felt responsible for Lynda's death, but the jealous part of her couldn't help but wonder if the Doctor hadn't felt some sort of attraction towards Lynda and was regretting that he never got a chance to be with the woman.

_But he told me he loved me._

But he was still a man. Even a man in love could still be swayed. Hadn't she learned her lesson with Jimmy?

_Stop it. The Doctor is not Jimmy Stone. Besides, Lynda's dead. Have some sympathy!_ Rose berated herself. She was torn. On the one hand, she wanted to hate Lynda for stealing away her Doctor's affections. On the other hand, she felt guilty for hating the woman. And as jealous as she was over Lynda, Rose couldn't help but feel sorry for the Doctor.

"I'm sorry," Rose mumbled half-heartedly. In the end, it was all she could say without sounding like a scorned lover.

The Doctor's shoulders sagged. He slumped down on the jump seat and buried his head in his hands.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Rose and the Doctor turn to the door in alarm, then relaxed when they saw Jack walk in.

"Thought you'd left without me, Doc." Jack eyed the Doctor somewhat accusingly.

"Jack! You okay?" Rose ran and threw her arms around him.

"Rose? How'd you get back?" Jack frowned at her, but returned her hug just the same.

"Long story," Rose said with a half-hearted laugh before proceeding to tell him about opening the TARDIS' console, but after that, her memories were a little hazy. She knew only what the Doctor had told her earlier: that she looked into the Time Vortex and wiped out the Daleks. But she didn't know any of the details. Come to think of it, she was curious on that too. So, she glanced sideways at the Doctor and said, "Maybe the Doctor can tell you the rest. I don't remember much of what happened after I opened the console."

"She looked into the time vortex and managed to gain control of it," said the Doctor as he got up from the jump seat and walked over to stand next to Rose before continuing, "Most people would've been driven mad by the time vortex. It gives you power, but at a price. And that price is your sanity. If a Time Lord were to do that, he'd turn into a vengeful god. But not Rose. You just had to be the exception, didn't you?"

"I'm just too good." Rose grinned at the Doctor. He smiled at her fondly in return.

"Anyway, there I was, surrounded by Daleks. I couldn't do it, Jack. The delta wave would've wiped out _everyone_, including humans," the Doctor said before looking away in guilt.

"I know," Jack said softly. There was no blame in his voice, but the Doctor still couldn't look Jack in the eye.

"Hey," Rose placed a comforting hand on the Doctor's arm, "It all worked out in the end, yeah?"

"Thanks to you," the Doctor said with a fond gaze at her. Rose smiled back at him. She would never get tired of that look in his eyes.

"Aww. You two are just too adorable," Jack said with a teasing grin.

Rose and the Doctor blushed and looked away from each other.

The Doctor cleared his throat embarrassedly and told Jack about Rose spreading the words Bad Wolf everywhere and the part where she wiped out the Daleks.

"Wow, Rosie. Remind me never to get on your bad side," Jack said to Rose jokingly.

Rose laughed. "Don't worry. That's reserved only for people with toilet plunger and egg beater arms."

"What's a toilet plunger?" Jack frowned in confusion.

"What, don't you get clogged toilets in the 51st century?" Rose asked.

"No. By his time, they've got particle disintegrators built into each toilet. No flushing necessary," the Doctor explained.

"Really? What happens if you stick an arm in there?" Rose asked.

"Nothing. It's got failsafes. It won't activate if it detects living tissue inside," Jack explained.

"And why'd you want to stick your arm in there, anyway? That's nasty, that is," the Doctor said with a shudder.

"I dunno. Suppose you drop your ring in there or something," Rose said with a shrug.

"Anyway, what happened after the Daleks are gone?" Jack asked.

The Doctor hesitated. He looked away for a bit before finally answering, "She let the time vortex go and fainted. That's why I rushed her back in the TARDIS. Had to check and make sure it's all gone."

Rose frowned. Why was the Doctor looking somewhat… guilty? Shifty? As if there was something he's not saying.

Jack looked between the two, as if he was suspicious as well. But then he nodded and let the matter go instead.

"Anyway, close the door, Jack," the Doctor said before walking over to the console, "Where should we go next? How about Barcelona? The planet, not the city. They've got dogs with no noses!"

"Actually, I think I'm just gonna get something to eat and then rest, if that's okay with you guys," said Jack after closing the TARDIS doors.

"Fine by me," the Doctor said before starting the dematerialization sequence. "We'll just float in the time vortex for awhile."

"Actually, while Jack sleeps, is it okay if I visit my Mum?" Rose asked.

The Doctor sobered up at the mention of Jackie.

"Stop pouting. It's only for a few hours," Rose said while nudging him.

"I'm not pouting. Do you see me pouting? Look, not pouting!" He put on a fake grin.

"Give it up, Doc. We all saw that frown." Jack clapped the Doctor's shoulders jokingly. The Doctor sighed in defeat.

"Fine. Powell Estate it is. But don't expect me to go in with you," said the Doctor.

"Don't worry. I'll just tell her you're busy fixing up the TARDIS." Rose patted his arm.

The Doctor nodded in relief, then set the course for 20th century London.

"I'll be in the kitchen. Have fun, kids!" Jack said as he waved goodbye and disappeared into the depths of the TARDIS.

With Jack gone, Rose turned her attention back to the Doctor. In all the rush and excitement that happened, she belatedly realized she had forgotten something else. Or rather, some_one_. She shuffled her feet nervously and waited until he finished the dematerialization sequence. The TARDIS groaned and swayed to and fro as they landed her regular spot next to Powell Estate.

"Doctor," Rose started when the Doctor finished his round around the console.

The Doctor paused and looked up expectantly.

"I…" Rose shifted from foot to foot.

"Rose? What is it?" The Doctor rushed towards her with a look of concern in his eyes.

"Nothing, I… it's just… I just realized… I mean… I haven't told Mickey. Well, I haven't really been dating Mickey ever since I started traveling with you, anyway. I mean, not _properly_ dating. But I haven't really officially broken it off with him. And now that you and I are… you know… I should break up with him."

The Doctor grew quiet. He had a stony expression in his eyes. "I shouldn't have slept with you."

Rose's heart froze. "D-do you regret it?"

The Doctor clenched his jaws and ran his hand down his face. "I knew you're still dating Mickey. I shouldn't have kissed you. Shouldn't have lost control."

"Oh." Rose looked away. Pain filled her heart. But this was her fault, too. It takes two to tango, after all. The Doctor may have kissed her, but he did so with her permission.

And now, he was regretting it. And it _hurt_. It felt like he was rejecting her.

It was her own fault, anyway. She should have at least waited until she broke up with Mickey first.

That was fine. She's an adult. She could take this calmly. Like a grown woman. If he wanted to go back to being just friends, that's… that's fine. She would accept it. She wouldn't be angry, or throw any tantrums, or lash out in any way.

_It hurts_.

And if… if he didn't want to travel with her anymore, she would understand. She would leave, calmly, without any tears.

_It hurts._

Her throat tightened. A tear streaked down her face. Unbidden. Unwanted. She shouldn't cry. This was her own fault, after all. She should be able to take this calmly and without any emotions whatsoever.

_But it hurts_.

Another tear fell down.

"Rose," the Doctor cupped her cheeks and wiped her tears away. He took a deep, shuddering breath, then drew her into his arms and laid his head atop hers. "I love you. I meant every word. Rassilon help me, I shouldn't, but I do. And I'm not giving you up."

Rose clutched the lapels of his jacket. The tightness in her throat eased slightly.

The Doctor tilted her chin up and kissed her lips.

"Go on. Go break up with Ricky. Put him out of his misery. But after that, you're coming straight back to me, got it?" The Doctor said.

Relief filled her heart. Rose smiled. She nodded, then stood on her tip-toes to kiss him.

"I love you," she whispered to him. The Doctor smiled and tightened his arms around her.

"You're mine, Rose. And make sure Ricky-boy knows that," the Doctor said possessively before finally letting her go.

oOoOoOo


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

While Rose was off visiting her mother, the Doctor went to join Jack in the kitchen, partly because waiting for Rose in the console room would be boring and partly to prevent the TARDIS from freaking out over Jack and causing havoc as a result.

He was just a few steps away from the kitchen when he heard Jack yell, "Ow! What the—"

The Doctor felt a sudden wave of alarm from the TARDIS. He rushed to the kitchen, then froze when he saw the refrigerator door flapping menacingly at Jack. Then, he burst into laughter.

"Doc! A little help?" Jack said while staying warily away from the flapping refrigerator door.

The Doctor touched the wall and sent out a telepathic wave of calmness to the TARDIS. Standing so close to Jack was difficult for the Doctor as well. He had to constantly tamp down his urge to flee every time he got anywhere near the man.

"There now. It's alright. It's just Jack. You know Jack," he purred at the TARDIS. The refrigerator door slowed down a little before hesitantly closing itself back up.

"What was that all about?" Jack frowned in confusion while looking at the Doctor strangely.

"The TARDIS. She was just surprised by you, that's all. Should be okay now. Go on," the Doctor nodded towards the refrigerator.

Jack eyed the now silent refrigerator unsurely. He took one hesitant step after another. When no refrigerator doors flapped to attack him, Jack bravely opened the door and grabbed some ham and cheese. He sighed in relief when the refrigerator door didn't attack him. He hurriedly closed the door before hunting down some bread from the cabinets.

The Doctor took a seat and watched in silence as Jack prepared his sandwich. When he was done, Jack took a seat across the Doctor and raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.

Instead of eating his sandwich right away, Jack stared at the Doctor with a curious frown.

"There's something you're not telling me," Jack said after awhile.

The Doctor hesitated. This wouldn't be easy to say. He wasn't sure how Jack would receive it. At the very best, the man would pout for awhile but be otherwise okay in the end. At worst, Jack would end up resenting them all and leaving the team for good. Not only that, it would hurt Rose to see her best friend leave. It would hurt her even more to know that Jack left because of something she did.

"Come on, Doc. Just spit it out. What is it?" Jack asked.

The Doctor took a deep breath, then asked, "How much do you remember from the Game Station? Right after Rose left?"

Jack frowned. "I remember fighting the Daleks in the corridor. I blacked out after that. The next thing I remember, I woke up in a pile of dust and heard the TARDIS dematerialize. I ran to the control room but missed you guys by a fraction of a second."

"You didn't black out, Jack. You died."

"What?" Jack looked at him in disbelief.

"The Daleks shot you. You were dead, Jack."

"Then why am I alive now?"

"It was Rose. When she was the Bad Wolf, she brought you back to life. Only, she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever."

"What do you mean?"

"You can't die, Jack. Not ever."

"What, so I'm immortal now?"

"Yes." The Doctor looked away from Jack uncomfortably.

Jack frowned in suspicion at this. "There's something else you're not telling me, is there?"

The Doctor let out a long breath. "You're a fixed point in time, now. That's why you can't die. If you get killed, you'll just be brought back to life. Your timeline is _fixed_. Your timeline has been permanently grafted onto the time vortex. That's also why the TARDIS was freaking out just now."

"You mean the refrigerator? _That's_ what it's all about?"

The Doctor nodded. "Just like Time Lords, the TARDIS is a time sensitive being. Your timeline was supposed to be short. It should have ended at the Game Station. But now it's on a continuous feedback loop with the time vortex. Anytime your timeline reaches completion, it draws energy from the time vortex, thereby extending it again, making your timeline _fixed._ It can't ever end. And for a time sensitive being, it just feels _wrong_. That's why the TARDIS tried to attack you. She reacted on instinct."

"Wrong? I'm _wrong_ to you?" A flash of hurt shone in Jack's eyes.

"Yes— no! I mean… I didn't mean _wrong_ wrong. I meant…" the Doctor took a deep breath. He had to choose his words carefully. He didn't want Jack to leave. It would only hurt Rose. "You're constantly drawing energy from the time vortex. To me and the TARDIS, it feels like standing next to a black hole."

Jack frowned. He bowed his head low and stared unseeing at the table. Lost in thought, he picked up his sandwich and started eating absent-mindedly.

For awhile, neither spoke. The Doctor sat awkwardly, unsure of what else to say. Was Jack angry? He probably had every right to. The Doctor wouldn't blame the man if he decided to leave now. He could only hope that Jack wouldn't blame Rose. She shouldn't be blamed for what happened. She didn't know what she was doing. All she wanted was to save her friend. If anything, the Doctor felt he was to blame for all this. If he had only come up with a better way to deal with the Daleks, none of this would have happened. Rose would never have had to put her life in danger. Jack would still be blissfully mortal. And Lynda would still be alive. All this was his fault.

After awhile, Jack finally looked up and asked, "Do you want me to leave?"

The Doctor stared at him in surprise. "Why would I want you to leave?"

"I dunno," Jack shrugged weakly. "You said being around me is like standing next to a black hole."

A pang of guilt rose in the Doctor's hearts. There was such an air of sadness around Jack now. It was so disconcerting to see the normally cheerful man sit there with a look of defeat in his eyes.

"I was wrong. I shouldn't have said that," the Doctor mumbled apologetically.

"Then what did you mean?" Jack looked at him intently, as if his decision to stay or leave would depend entirely upon the Doctor's next words. For all the Doctor knew, it very well could be.

The Doctor tensed. He took a deep breath. He could see now that Jack was hurt by what he said. He needed to choose his words carefully.

"I'm not saying it's comfortable being around you right now. I'm sorry, Jack. I can't help it. It's instinct. But I want you to stay. The TARDIS is your home, too," the Doctor said.

"But you can't even stand to be around me," Jack stared accusingly at the Doctor.

"I'll get used to it. And so will the TARDIS. I can put dampeners on her so she won't be as sensitive around you. I didn't tell you so you would leave. I just thought you needed to know." The Doctor took a deep breath and added, "Stay, Jack. Please."

Jack sighed, then nodded. "Can you reverse it?"

"You don't want to be immortal?" The Doctor looked at Jack in surprise. There were countless people who would sacrifice their own mother to have what Jack now have. He lost count on the number of times he stopped madmen from killing people in their quest for immortality.

Jack took a deep breath and leaned back in thought. "Don't get me wrong. It's nice not having to worry about dying. And it might even be fun for awhile. But I'm guessing after a few billion years, it would get pretty tiring. I'm going to have to watch everyone die while I live on."

The Doctor nodded. In some ways, he was impressed that Jack understood the curse that came with immortality when so many others failed to see it. But hearing Jack say it made him sad as well. The Doctor knew what it felt like to watch everyone you care about die while you had no choice but to live on. He would never wish it on anyone, least of all Jack. Unfortunately, that was exactly what Jack would have to endure in his future.

"So, can you?" Jack asked again. "Reverse it, I mean?"

The Doctor looked at Jack sadly, then shook his head. "Sorry, Jack. Wouldn't even know where to begin."

"What about Rose? Can _she_ do it?"

The Doctor's jaws tensed. Jack had no idea what the Bad Wolf had almost cost Rose. If she hadn't let go in time, she would have burned to death.

"She can't. It's gone. Completely gone," the Doctor said without looking.

Jack rose his eyebrow at this. He frowned at the Doctor suspiciously. "Doc, if there's something you're not telling me…"

"She can't do it, Jack. Not ever. Just leave it at that." The Doctor replied tersely.

Jack frowned. Clearly, he wasn't satisfied with this answer. He sighed, then shook his head and said, "I'm going to bed."

The Doctor didn't answer and just watched as Jack got up, placed his dishes in the dishwasher, then started towards the kitchen door. But before he exited, he paused, turned back to look at the Doctor, and asked, "I _can_ get into my room, right? The TARDIS isn't going to freak out and attack me again?"

"Nope. Should be alright, now. But just in case, yell if something happens," the Doctor said.

Jack nodded, then turned to leave.

"Jack," the Doctor called him before he could leave.

Jack paused and glanced back at the Doctor.

"Rose doesn't know," the Doctor said. Surprised, Jack spun to face the Doctor fully.

"She doesn't?" Jack frowned in confusion.

The Doctor shook his head.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Jack looked at the Doctor suspiciously.

The Doctor leaned back and sighed. "Didn't want to stress her out. She's had enough on her plate already."

Jack pursed his lips in disapproval, then sighed. "You can't keep this from her forever, Doc. What if something happens and she sees me rising from the dead? How are you going to explain that?"

"I'm not keeping this from her forever! Just… not now. Not yet. Jack, she cried over the Daleks. How do you think she'll react when she realized what she's done to you?"

Jack frowned in disapproval, then sighed in resignation. "And when are you planning to tell her?"

The Doctor shrugged. "When the time's right."

Jack opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and shook his head. Instead, he said, "You better tell her soon, Doc. She'll be angry with you if you keep this from her for long."

"I know." The Doctor bowed his head in guilt. But he'd rather have Rose angry with him than with herself. He knew what it felt like to hate and blame himself for things he'd done, even if he'd done it to save others. He would never wish that burden on Rose.

He didn't even bother to look up when Jack eventually left the kitchen.

oOo

Her mother hadn't been pleased when Rose finally popped back in their apartment. As it turned out, the Doctor missed by a couple of months. It was close to Christmas now. The minute Rose walked in, Jackie started complaining over (non-existent) wrinkles that Rose apparently caused because she didn't even bother to call her mother to tell her that she was alive. Rose felt somewhat guilty over that (honestly, it was only a few hours since she left her Mum. How was she supposed to know it had been two months for her mother?), but a part of her was glad the Doctor refused to come to the apartment with her. Who knows how many slaps her mother would have given him this time.

And then Mickey showed up. The guilt inside her returned full-force. Once again, Rose was reminded of her conversation with the Doctor. She needed to break up with Mickey. She and Mickey had been in a sort of dating limbo the past year or so. They weren't really dating but they weren't really 'just friends', either. When Mickey told her he was dating Trisha Delaney, Rose knew that whatever she had with Mickey was over right then and there. Still, Mickey continued to come over whenever she and the Doctor went to visit Jackie. Sometimes, Rose wondered if the whole thing with Trisha Delaney might have been a lie and that Mickey was still hoping that Rose would get back together with him.

Mickey deserved a proper break-up. It really was unfair of her to keep him in limbo like that. But knowing the animosity between him and the Doctor, Rose wasn't sure how to break it to him. Mickey would be mad for sure.

Still, it needed to be done, both for Mickey and the Doctor's sake. Rose took a deep breath. She would do this. She had to end it with Mickey now. But not here. Not with her mother within earshot.

"Mickey," Rose finally spoke. "Can we go somewhere?"

"Yeah, sure. Where to?" Mickey asked.

"Dunno," Rose shrugged. Didn't matter, really. As long as it's away from here. "It's Christmas, yeah? Let's go shopping or something."

"Alright," Mickey replied with a shrug before getting up from the sofa.

"Yep." Rose nodded before getting up from her seat. She told her mom she'd be out with Mickey a bit before leaving out the door with him.

oOo

Wharton Street was, as usual, very crowded this time of year. With Christmas just around the corner, street vendors selling Christmas-themed arts and crafts filled the square while shoppers milled around in search of the perfect last-minute gifts. Belatedly, Rose realized that she hadn't bought any Christmas gifts for her mother. But now's not the time to shop. Not when she was here to break up with Mickey. Besides, she didn't have any Earth money on her, anyway.

"How's Trisha?" Rose asked out of the blue.

"Don't know. Haven't seen her in months." Mickey shrugged. He glanced at Rose suspiciously and asked, "Why?"

Rose bit her lips and glanced guiltily at him. "I haven't been fair to you, have I? I mean, I just swanned off for a year. We barely even see each other now, much less go on dates."

Mickey shrugged again, but said nothing. He stopped and looked at Rose intently. "I wasn't really dating Trisha. You know that, right? I was just… I lied, okay?"

"I know." Rose replied without any hints of malice or bitterness in her voice. She had suspected he might've been lying from the very first time he told her about Trisha Delaney back when they caught Margaret the Slitheen. Mickey was just jealous of the Doctor. Even Rose could see that, even though she never called him out on it.

"Honest, Rose. I was just… you were gone with the Doctor all the time and I—"

"Mickey, it's okay. I know. I understand."

"Oh." Mickey sighed in relief.

To be honest, at this point, it didn't really matter to her whether he'd actually been seeing Trisha or not. She was breaking up with him. In fact, part of her wished he _was_ still dating Tricia. It would have made what she was about to say to him easier.

"You didn't drag me out here to shop, did you?" Mickey asked.

"No," Rose looked away.

"Oh."

"Mickey, I… I know I haven't been around much. And it's not fair to you. I don't want you to keep on waiting for me to come back. Cause I'm never going to stay. Not ever. I don't want you to put your life on hold for me. So, I… I think we should just be friends."

Mickey didn't answer. He turned away from Rose and just stood there in silence. For a long time, neither spoke.

"It's the Doctor, isn't it?" Mickey blurted out after awhile.

"Mickey—"

"No, Rose. It's _my_ turn to speak now." Mickey spun to face her. He looked at her angrily and said, "You were right. It _isn't_ fair to me. Cause you just swanned off and left me for a year. And you know what? I stuck by you anyway. You went off with another bloke and I still stuck by you. Cause you know why? I _love_ you, Rose. Now what about him, eh? Can he say the same? He _dumped_ you. And you still came back to him. I don't know what you see in him. So what if he's got a fancy spaceship? I _stayed_. I never left you."

"He did it to save my life, Mickey. He was _dying_!"

"_Oh-ho_! He's _dying_! And that made it alright to just dump you back here on Earth? No goodbye, no nothing? Just, 'So long. See you. It was fun while it lasted'?"

"Mickey, it's not like that! And he left the TARDIS here, too. He wouldn't have done that if he thought he would survive."

Mickey turned away angrily. After awhile, Mickey's shoulders sagged in defeat. "I knew you were in love with him."

"Y-you did?" Rose blinked in surprise.

"Well, it's kind of obvious, isn't it?" Mickey spun back to face her. "What girl would just swan off, leave her boyfriend and her family, and risk her life _repeatedly_ for a bloke she feels nothing for? I was just too stupid. I kept on hoping you'd leave him someday and stay here once you get your fill of seeing the universe. But you were never going to stay, were you? Between me and him, it was always going to be him, isn't it?"

Rose looked away. Mickey's words were far too true that she couldn't help but feel the stab of guilt in her heart again.

Suddenly, the window behind them shattered. Mickey and Rose ducked to cover themselves from the shards of glass that went flying everywhere. Rose looked around and saw three robot-like Santas standing in front of them with their trombones aimed at her and Mickey.

Reacting quickly, Rose grabbed Mickey's hand and ran while ducking from the shots fired by the robot Santas. In the midst of screaming and chaos, Rose managed to hail a taxi and scrambled to get inside.

As the taxi sped away with her and Mickey, Rose looked out the window and sighed in relief when she saw that the robot santas didn't follow them. But that didn't mean she and Mickey were safe. No, far from it. She had a feeling those robot santas would be back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Rose and Mickey came home to see her mother running down the stairs of the apartment, shrieking, while the neighbors peeked out their doors in curiosity. Alarmed, Rose and Mickey immediately ran up the stairs to catch up with Jackie.

"Mum? Mum! What's going on?" Rose ran and caught her mother as they collided with each other halfway up the stairs.

"Rose! Don't go in! The Christmas tree! It's alive!" Jackie blurted out hysterically.

"What Christmas tree? We don't—" Rose's voice trailed off when she noticed something moving at the top of the staircase. Her eyes widened when she saw what looked like a Christmas tree spinning violently and cutting a part of the metal framework that held up the stairs. Neighbors screamed and ran inside their apartments when the saw the spinning tree. One brave man tried to come up behind the tree and whack it with a baseball bat, only to have the bat sawed in half. The man stared at his demolished bat and ran back to his apartment.

The tree continued into the stairwell and started clumsily stumbling down the stairs.

"Run!" Rose yelled as she grabbed her mother and Mickey and ran down the stairs. As they ran, Rose took out her mobile and dialed the TARDIS.

"_Rose?"_ The Doctor answered with a confused tone.

"Doctor! There's robot Santas and killer Christmas trees trying to kill us."

"_Where are you?"_

"The apartment. In the stairwell."

Before Rose could hang up, there was a familiar groaning and whooshing sound. She turned and saw the TARDIS materialize on the landing just below them. With relief evident in their faces, Rose, Jackie, and Mickey scrambled downstairs and tumbled into the TARDIS.

"Rose! You alright?" The Doctor grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her over as soon as the trio made it safely inside.

"Yeah. M'fine. It didn't get me," Rose said.

"Good. Stay here," the Doctor said before taking out his sonic screwdriver and exiting the TARDIS doors. Not wanting to let him face the killer Christmas tree alone, Rose opened the door, just in time to see the Doctor aim his sonic screwdriver at the tree. The tree exploded in a shower of sparks.

Rose sighed in relief and walked out the door to join him. Sensing that the danger was gone, Jackie and Mickey tumbled out after her.

"What the hell was that?" Mickey asked as he looked at the charred remains of the killer Christmas tree.

The Doctor stared at the burnt remains on the floor and muttered, "Remote controlled. Who's controlling it?"

The Doctor looked around, then stopped when he saw three robot Santas standing not far from the apartment. The middle one seemed to be holding a remote control.

"That's them! The ones we saw earlier!" Mickey said.

The Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at them. The three robot Santas retreated and teleported away.

"They were after us. We were at the fair at Wharton Street. And they started shooting at us," Rose said.

"Why would they be after us?" Jackie asked.

"Good question. Why you? You're not special. Just simple little apes. Why not me? I'm right there down the street. But they came after you instead. Why you? Why the three of you?" The Doctor frowned, then spun sharply to face them. "Right. You three, TARDIS. Now."

"Oi! I could slap you, I could!" Jackie scowled at him.

"Jackie, you could stay here and hope they don't come back, or you could go in the TARDIS, where it's safe, and maybe shut up long enough so I can figure out what they are and why they're after you." The Doctor said testily.

"Alright, alright! No need to get your knickers in a twist." Jackie rolled her eyes, but followed after the Doctor and Rose anyway as they went back inside the TARDIS.

Once everyone was safely inside the TARDIS, the Doctor started the dematerialization sequence.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked.

"Just moving her down the street. Can't have your neighbors snooping around, wondering what a blue box is doing in the middle of the stairs," the Doctor replied. The TARDIS shook a bit, then halted with a thud, signaling that she had landed somewhere.

"Where are we?" Mickey asked. When the Doctor didn't reply, Mickey peeked out the TARDIS doors.

Jackie went to join Mickey and peeked over his shoulders to look. Her eyes widened. When she noticed a familiar looking building not far from the TARDIS.

"Oh, it's the apartment!" Jackie said in surprise.

"Told you, I only moved her down the street. Now," the Doctor turned to Rose and scanned his sonic screwdriver over her. A few seconds later, his eyes widened. He froze, then rushed over and scanned Mickey and Jackie.

"Stop bleeping me!" Jackie swatted his sonic screwdriver away.

Completely non-plussed, the Doctor turned to Rose and said, "It's not them, it's you."

"What do you mean, it's me?" Rose asked.

"Bad Wolf, Rose. Remember that?" The Doctor said.

"Yeah, you told me. But Doctor, Bad Wolf's gone. You said it's gone," said Rose.

"What's Bad Wolf?" Jackie asked.

The Doctor's jaws tensed. He looked away from Jackie, as if in guilt, then replied, "When Rose opened the TARDIS' console, she looked into the time vortex and became the Bad Wolf. But it's gone. The Bad Wolf is gone." To Rose, he said, "At least, that's what I thought. But there's still traces left in you. Not much, but enough to attract attention. That must be what's drawing them in."

"They? Who's _they_?" Mickey asked.

"Good question." The Doctor raced to the console and turned on the monitor. Rose went to stand next to him so she could see what was on the monitor. A map of the area around Powell Estate popped up.

"Are you scanning for alien tech?" Rose grinned at him.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, but replied anyway, "Yes, I'm scanning for alien tech. Happy now?"

"Very." Rose grinned smugly.

The Doctor shook his head in bemusement, then focused his attention back on screen while muttering, "They transmatted away. But where? There are some alien tech in London— remind me to get to that later, Rose —but no sign of our Santas anywhere. Where did they go?"

The map on screen slowly zoomed out, as if it was scanning for something. It kept on zooming out, past London, past England, past Earth, and eventually stopped when it had a map of the entire solar system on screen. A red dot was blinking between Mars and Earth, but it seemed to be moving towards Earth. The Doctor zoomed in on the mysterious red dot. An image of an asteroid popped up.

"An asteroid?" Rose asked.

"Too fast to be an asteroid. Probably be artificial," the Doctor said as he typed a few commands into the console. Circular writing popped up next to the asteroid. His eyes widened.

"Ha! Sycorax!" The Doctor slammed his palms down the console and grinned in triumph. "Fantastic! And you why that's fantastic, Rose?"

"Why?" Rose grinned. She loved it when he was like this. There was a gleam in his eyes that told her that the Doctor was about to save the world— again.

"Because now we know what we're dealing with. And I know exactly what to do!" Said the Doctor.

"Hang on a minute. What's the Sycorax? And what's Bad Wolf? Why the hell do they want Rose?" Jackie asked.

"It's the temporal energy. Rose is filled with traces of temporal energy from when she looked into the time vortex. And that sort of energy could power up their ship for years," the Doctor answered.

"What, they want to use Rose as fuel? I mean, no offense, but that's just ridiculous," Mickey looked at him incredulously.

"Let me tell you something about temporal energy, Ricky—"

"It's _Mickey_." Mickey walked up to the Doctor and glared at him challengingly.

"Ricky. Don't you know your own name?"

"Will you two stop it?!" Rose got in between the two bickering males and shoved them apart. "Now, Doctor, the Sycorax, what are they?"

"They're a violent race. Goes around the universe conquering any species whose technology is inferior to their own and then cart the victims off as slaves," the Doctor answered. He turned back to the monitor and muttered, "Something still doesn't add up. They were all the way in Mars. And there's only very little traces of the temporal energy in you. They shouldn't be able to detect you from that distance."

"Unless, they're already here before we got here?" Rose suggested.

The Doctor paused, then turned to her and grinned. "Knew I kept you around for a reason."

"Yeah? Sure that's the only reason?" Rose grinned teasingly with the tips of her tongue peeking out between her teeth. He grinned back and was about to lean forward to kiss her when Jackie cleared her throat.

"Oh, don't mind me. Just clearing my throat," Jackie said with a voice that was deceptively calm.

The Doctor and Rose sprang apart. Rose blushed and belatedly remembered that they were not alone right now. She spared a quick glance at Mickey and noticed him scowling while looking pointedly away. A pang of guilt rose in her heart. How could she have forgotten that he was there?

"Right! Sycorax!" The Doctor spoke in a voice that sounded a little too bright. "If they're already here, then the one near Mars would be the mothership. But that means they were here even before Rose and I got here."

"So that means what, they knew Rose is going to be here before she even comes here?" Mickey asked, though there was a slight edge in his voice that told her he was still angry at her.

"But how would they know? I've never met a Sycorax before… have I?" Rose asked him. "And Bad Wolf only happened less than a day ago for us. Or were they at the Game Station?"

"No. The only aliens there were me and the Daleks. I should know. I scanned the entire station while Jack and I were looking for you." The Doctor paused.

"Oh! Where's Jack?" Rose said when she belatedly realized Jack wasn't here. "Is he sleeping?"

"Who's Jack?" Jackie asked. "Is there someone else in here?"

"Yeah. Friend of ours. Met him in 1941 in the middle of the blitz. He's been traveling with us since," Rose said, then added, "Though, he's actually from the 51st century."

"Then what's he doing in 1941? How'd he get to 1941, anyway? Does he have a TARDIS too?" Jackie asked.

"No, he's human like us. He's a Time Agent. Well, _former_ Time Agent. By his time, they've got this thing called a vortex manipulator that they use to travel through time," Rose explained without getting into details. No need to tell her mother that Jack had actually tried to scam them when they first met. "Anyway, shouldn't we wake him up?"

"Good idea. Ricky! Go wake him up," The Doctor ordered.

"It's _Mickey!_" Mickey protested. "And why should I wake him up? I don't even know where his room is!"

"Oh, don't start that again! _I'll_ go wake him up. _You two,_" Rose glanced at the two men, then looked away in guilt when her eyes met Mickey's. "Try not to kill each other while I'm gone."

Without waiting for their replies, Rose sauntered away towards Jack's room.

oOo

Jackie glanced suspiciously at the two men who were steadfastly pretending not to glare at each other from across the room. She didn't know exactly what was going on between the Doctor and Mickey, but she could guess: Rose. Jackie wasn't blind. She could see that Rose was in love with the Doctor. She had seen that sort of blind devotion in her daughter before with Jimmy Stone, and now she was seeing it again with the Doctor. And judging from the looks the two had been sending each other all day, that love and devotion was returned this time around.

Jackie sighed. Well, she supposed the Doctor wasn't that bad of a choice. He's certainly worlds better than Jimmy. At least she could trust the Doctor to take good care of her daughter. And having a genius alien around who could fix broken appliances and stop alien invaders all in the same day could certainly be useful.

Problem was, Rose was supposed to still be dating Mickey.

Or was she?

Did something happen between those three that Jackie didn't know about? Didn't Rose go out with Mickey earlier? Judging by the poisonous glares Mickey had been sending the Doctor all day and the guilty looks on Rose's face, Jackie guessed that something _did_ happen.

Jackie sighed again. This was always going to happen. She knew from the moment she found out that her daughter was travelling with the Doctor that Rose and Mickey would eventually fall apart. It was obvious from the way Rose barely paid Mickey any attention the past couple of years. She just wished they had chosen a better time to have a lovers' tiff than in the middle of an alien attack.

"Right. I don't know what's going on between the three of you, but you better sort it out soon. I don't want Rose getting killed because you two can't get along," Jackie said as she glared intently at the two men.

"Don't tell me, tell _him_. _He's_ the one who stole my girlfriend!" Mickey pointed at the Doctor and glared at the alien.

"How can she be your girlfriend if you barely even went out on a date with her?" The Doctor countered back.

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" Mickey argued.

"ENOUGH! I don't want to hear any more peep from either of you. If you can't play nice, then don't bother speaking at all." Jackie glared at the two men, who had the grace to look away in guilt. "Now if I hear any more 'Ricky' vs. 'Mickey', both of you are going to get a slap, got it?"

Both men squeaked and nodded.

"_Good_." Jackie nodded in satisfaction and glared at the two men again— just to be sure.

oOo

After a few tense minutes, Rose finally returned with a slightly rumpled looking Jack in tow. Then, in typical Jack fashion, as soon as he saw Jackie, he homed in straight towards the elder Tyler.

"Hello. Captain Jack Harkness," Jack flashed Jackie a charming smile as he extended his hand in a greeting. Jackie blinked in surprise and accepted his handshake bemusedly, only to blink again in surprise when Jack kissed the back of her hand.

"Jack, that's my _Mum_." Rose glared at him in warning.

"So you're Mrs. Tyler? I can see where Rose gets her pretty looks from," Jack said with a five-thousand megawatt grin. Rose slapped her forehead and sighed. Both Jack and her mother were the biggest flirts in the universe. Having those two together in the same room was a disaster waiting to happen.

"Oh, you're a charmer, you are! Please, call me Jackie," Jackie said with a sweet smile.

The Doctor rolled his eyes while Mickey pretended to gag. Meanwhile, Rose wondered if the TARDIS could do her a huge favor and swallow her whole or teleport her somewhere less mortifying. Honestly, her mum was almost forty! It's practically embarrassing.

"Oi! Can we focus? Thanks," The Doctor said. He turned to Jack and said, "Right, don't know if Rose told you anything, but there's a—"

The Doctor's words were cut off at a sudden knock on the door. Everyone turned to look at each other.

"Who would be knocking on the TARDIS?" Mickey wondered out loud.

"Only one way to find out," the Doctor said before walking to the door.

"Doctor, wait! What if it's a Sycorax? Or one of those robot Santas? It could be a trap," Rose warned him.

"Doubt it'll be a Sycorax. They may be a warrior race, but they're not brave enough to do the dirty work themselves. And if it is one of their remote controlled robots, then I've got a welcoming packet for them," the Doctor waved his sonic screwdriver at her, then turned to the door and slowly opened it.

A human man in black military uniform and red beret stood in front of the TARDIS.

"Oh. Hello," the Doctor muttered in surprise.

"Doctor?" The soldier asked unsurely.

"Yes, that's me. Hello!" The Doctor waved cheerfully.

The soldier's eyes widened. He took a step back and gave the Doctor a military salute.

"Oh, don't salute!" The Doctor whined before stepping out the TARDIS completely.

"Doctor? Who is he?" Rose asked before joining the Doctor outside. Once outside, she froze in surprise. The TARDIS was surrounded by armed soldiers in unfamiliar black uniform, exactly like the one who had knocked on the TARDIS doors just now. There were several military SUVs nearby and a helicopter hovering above. Fortunately, despite being fully armed, none of them appeared to be pointing their guns at the Doctor. In fact, except for the lone soldier in front of them, everyone else seemed to be standing a respectful distance away from the TARDIS.

"They're UNIT. Unified Intelligence Taskforce. Used to work with them. Well, still do, I suppose," the Doctor explained to Rose.

"Sir, the Prime Minister requests your presence immediately," the soldier said.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, then grinned. "Alright. Take me to your leader." To Rose, he whispered, "Always wanted to say that."

Rose grinned in amusement at his words.

oOo

The Doctor and his entourage were taken to UNIT headquarters underneath the Tower of London and were brought immediately to Harriet Jones. The relief on Harriet's' face when she saw the Doctor walk into UNIT headquarters was palpable.

"Doctor, thank you for coming," Harriet said as she greeted the Doctor. Spotting Rose, Harriet smiled and said, "And Rose! It's good to see you again."

"Likewise," Rose said with a grin. "So, Prime Minister?"

"Landslide majority," Harriet said with a proud smile.

"By the way, this is my Mum, Jackie, that's Mickey, and Jack," Rose introduced the rest of their entourage.

Harriet did a double take when she was introduced to Mickey. "Mickey? The boyfriend?"

"Uh…" Mickey shifted unsurely and glanced at Rose.

"Just… just a friend," Rose answered awkwardly. She couldn't look at Mickey in the eye. Their break-up was still too fresh. Having it constantly reminded felt more than a little awkward.

"Ah. You were the one on the phone," Harriet said.

"Y-yeah. That's… that's me," Mickey shifted unsurely. Rose's heart started to pound nervously. Mickey was technically responsible for destroying No. 10 Downing Street. And with Harriet Jones practically acknowledging it outloud in a room full of military officials, Rose was afraid of what the repercussions might be for Mickey. They're not going to arrest him now, were they?

"Good. We might need someone of your expertise," Harriet said with a firm nod, causing everyone else to blink in surprise. Still, Rose couldn't help but sigh in relief that Mickey wasn't going to get arrested on the spot. For now, anyway.

Harriet turned to the Doctor and began launching an explanation of the space probe Guinevere and the transmission they received from the Sycorax. Mid-way through their discussion, the Sycorax sent yet another threat, followed by several of UNIT's staff members walking out in a hypnotic trance. The pressure to act was even more desperate when they found out that it wasn't just UNIT's staff members who had been captured in a hypnotic trance, but people from all over the world as well.

With time running out, Harriet quickly agreed that the Doctor, Rose, Harriet herself, and her aide, Alex, would go to the Sycorax mothership using the TARDIS to speak on behalf of Earth and attempt to negotiate some sort of peace treaty. Meanwhile, Rose was given a bluetooth linked to her superphone, which would be kept at on at all times with an open line to UNIT headquarters so everyone there could listen in and follow last-minute orders from Harriet should negotiations fail.

As for Jack and Mickey, Harriet ordered them to attempt to hack into the Sycorax's computers and disable their entire weaponry and defense system.

oOo

The negotiations with the Sycorax had not gone entirely smoothly. The Doctor disabled the blood control— not that it stopped the Sycorax from continuing to threaten Earth. When the Sycorax leader refused to leave Earth alone, the Doctor challenged the Sycorax leader to a duel and won. However, not wanting to accept defeat, the Sycorax leader bargained again.

"Very well. We will leave, on one condition: give us the girl. The yellow one," said the leader while pointing at Rose.

"She's _not_ for trade!" The Doctor's eyes flashed dangerously at the leader.

"You would condemn this planet… for a _girl_?" The leader taunted. The rest of his crew laughed and jeered at the Doctor.

In the midst of all this chaos, Mickey spoke through the bluetooth Rose was wearing.

"_Rose, I've done it. Tell Harriet we're good to go,"_ said Mickey on the other line. Rose's eyes widened. She surreptitiously grabbed Harriet's hand and gently squeezed it. Harriet squeezed back, signaling she understood.

After that, Rose took a step forward and yelled out angrily, "Oi! _She_ is right here and can speak for herself, thanks! And I'm not some property to be traded and bargained with. So, no deal!"

"Foolish girl. Your pride will be your species' downfall," said the leader.

"I don't think so!" Harriet finally spoke. "As of now, your entire defense and weapons systems have been disabled. And every weapon on Earth right now is aimed and ready to fire at this ship. Now, tell me, how ready are you to die for the sake of one little planet?"

"Commander, energy build-up detected at marks zero-five, nine-eight-two, forty eight-twenty—"

"Nevermind that! FIRE!" The Sycorax Commander yelled out in anger. The crew started frantically working on the controls, but nothing happened. No noise, no movements, no… nothing.

"Weapons non-functional," reported one of the Sycorax crew.

"What?" The Sycorax Commander turned to his crewman in surprise. "Raise shields!"

"Shields also non-functional," replied another member of the crew.

The leader screamed in anger.

"_Leave_. This will be the last warning we will give you," Harriet said steely. To UNIT, she said, "Captain, on my mark, prepare to open fire."

There was no response on the other line, but Rose knew UNIT heard their Prime Minister's command.

"You will die with us!" The leader yelled.

"If it will save my planet, then I will die gladly," said Harriet.

The Commander seethed. He shifted from side to side, then growled in frustration.

"Grraaaah! Retreat!" The Commander finally yelled out to his crew.

"Good choice." Harriet said sternly. She held her chin up high and cast her gaze across the entire Sycorax crew and shouted, "Hear this, Sycorax! For your actions today, on behalf of the planet Earth, I hereby ban you and your entire species from ever entering Earth space. Should we detect your ship, we will not hesitate to open fire."

The Doctor took a step forward and spoke outloud to the entire Sycorax crew, "By the ancient rites of combat, which _your_ _leader_ violated in dishonor, as the rightful Champion and Winner of the Challenge, I forbid you from scavenging here for the rest of time. So, if you ever think you can get away with threatening this planet again, let me tell you this: Earth. Is. Defended!"

Amidst the angry yells of the Sycorax, the Doctor and the rest of the humans retreated into the TARDIS and headed back to Earth.

Down on Earth, all of humanity watched and cheered as the Sycorax ship retreated and vanished into the depths of space.

oOo

It was daytime when the TARDIS materialized back outside UNIT's headquarters. As soon as they landed, everyone tumbled out of the TARDIS. Apparently hearing the TARDIS arrive, Jackie ran out of the headquarters to tackle her daughter in a hug while Jack and Mickey trailed behind her to welcome the rest of the entourage back.

Out in the courtyard, Harriet turned to the Doctor and his entourage with a relieved smile and said, "Thank you, Doctor. Thank _all_ of you. Earth owes each and every one of you a great debt of gratitude."

"You're welcome," the Doctor replied with a pleased smile.

"And you, Mr. Smith, Mr. Harkness, that was, quite honestly, the most brilliant hacking I have ever seen," Harriet said.

"Aww, thank you," Jack said with a smile while Mickey flustered in a mix of pride and embarrassment.

Harriet glanced at the now clear sky, then back at the Doctor, "Do you think they will return?"

"They shouldn't. But if they do, you're prepared now. Earth will no longer be viewed as a primitive, defenseless little planet," said the Doctor.

Harriet nodded. "I just hope that will be enough." She took a deep breath and said, "They're not the first one."

"No," replied the Doctor, knowing fully that Harriet was referring to the Slitheen she helped stop a few months back.

"They won't be the last, will they?" Harriet asked with trepidation in her voice.

"Maybe." Seeing the worried look on Harriet's face, the Doctor added, "They're not all like that. Lots of species out there are peaceful. Who knows, someday you might just find that one friendly species you've been looking for. Well, other than me," the Doctor said with a grin.

Harriet took a deep breath and nodded. "What will you do now, Doctor?"

"Oh, this and that. Keep travelling. Still lots more to see in this universe," replied the Doctor.

"And if we need you, is there any way we can get in touch with you?" Harriet asked.

The Doctor thought for a minute. Before he could answer, Rose spoke up.

"You can ask my mum. She's got my phone number. And I'm always with him," Rose nodded at the Doctor. "I'll make sure he gets the message."

"There you go. Call Jackie. She'll pass on the message," the Doctor said with a grin.

"Oi! You better not be calling me at 3 a.m. in the morning!" Jackie protested.

"Don't worry. I promise, it's for emergencies only," Harriet assured her. To the Doctor, she said, "Thank you, Doctor."

The Doctor nodded with a smile. After giving Harriet Jackie's phone number, they all said their farewells and filed back into the TARDIS, but Mickey stayed behind, claiming he'd rather take the bus home. The Doctor decided not to protest. To be honest, it was better this way. He didn't want to be around Mickey any more than the boy wanted to be around him.

As the TARDIS faded away, Harriet turned to Mickey and said, "Tell me, Mr. Smith, have you ever considered working for UNIT?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After leaving UNIT headquarters, they went back to Powell Estates. When they got back to the apartment, everything was a mess. The door (or what was left of it) was in pieces. Some of the furniture were destroyed or partially wrecked by the spinning Christmas tree earlier. So, they all set about to clean up the apartment, repair what they could, and throw away the ones that were clearly a lost cause. Or rather, Rose, the Doctor, and Jack did. Jackie spent most of that time arguing with the building manager, who lived in the apartment upstairs, in hopes of getting someone to come in and replace the door today.

An hour later, Jackie returned with, surprisingly enough, a bag full of groceries and— was that turkey?

"Did you go shopping?" Rose asked with a slightly accusatory tone. Here she was, busy cleaning the apartment with the Doctor and Jack, and her mother decided to go shopping instead of helping them? She was supposed to be upstairs talking to the building manager!

"Well, how else am I going to cook Christmas dinner? All I've got is meat paste. Should have called before you come to visit on Christmas," Jackie said. "Now help me get these to the kitchen."

Jack (and a slightly reluctant Doctor) took the shopping bags from Jackie and went into the kitchen to place the groceries on the counter while Rose and Jackie followed in their wake.

"Did you talk to the building manager? What did he say? Is he coming to replace the door today?" Rose asked.

"No. Can you believe him? Stores are closed, he said. Got to wait till tomorrow." Jackie complained. She turned to the Doctor and said, "Don't suppose you've got a spare door in that blue box of yours?"

The Doctor opened his mouth (presumably to say no), then closed it again before finally answering, "Actually, I just might. Be right back. Jack! Need your help!"

Before Jackie could say anything, the Doctor and Jack had disappeared out the doorway. Rose rolled her eyes and sighed. She was pretty sure the TARDIS didn't have a spare door lying around (then again, the TARDIS _was_ a big ship. Maybe she really did have a spare door somewhere in there?) No doubt, the Doctor probably just wanted to get away from what he would consider "domestics". He probably saw an opening and took it before Jackie had a chance to change her mind.

Jackie shook her head, then turned her attention to the turkey.

"Help me out with this," Jackie ordered as she took out the rest of the groceries from the bag. While Jackie prepared the turkey, Rose worked on the stuffing.

"Should have asked that Doctor of yours to throw the sofa out, too," Jackie said. "It's nothing but fluff, now. Going to have to buy a new one. And a coffee table too."

"I'll ask him when he gets back," Rose replied absent-mindedly. The coffee table was in pieces, throwing it away had been easy. The sofa, however, was big and bulky, so it still sat there in the living room. Rose wondered if Jack could use his squareness gun and vaporize the sofa away so they wouldn't need to haul it all the way to the dumpster. Then again, she didn't want to risk having a square hole appear in the middle of her living room. That might be a bit awkward to explain to their downstairs neighbors.

"At least tomorrow's Boxing Day. Could go to IKEA or something. Bet they probably have a sale, then. And make sure that Doctor of yours sticks around until then. I'm not doing this by myself," Jackie said.

"You want to take the Doctor furniture shopping?" Rose looked at her mother as if she'd grown two heads.

"Well, how else am I going to bring that sofa home? I'm not hauling that thing home by myself! Haven't even got a car," Jackie pointed out.

Rose could almost imagine the look on horror on the Doctor's face when he found out what her mother had planned for him on Boxing Day. Rose would have to barricade the TARDIS herself to prevent him from running away. Yep. _Fun times_.

"And what's going on with you and Mickey?" Jackie asked.

Rose stiffened. Her hands stilled as guilt rose up within her again.

"I broke up with him today," Rose admitted quietly.

"On Christmas Eve?" Jackie shook her head. "Poor boy's been mooning over you for ages, Rose. The least you could do was wait until Boxing Day. Or better yet, after New Year's."

"I know, it's just… I… well… it's going to be awkward, what with the Doctor being here. Can you imagine the two of them sitting down for Christmas dinner together?"

"Like you can get that alien to sit down long enough to have dinner," Jackie commented.

Rose chuckled. It was no secret that the Doctor rarely, if ever, accepted any dinner invitations from Jackie. 'Too domestic', he would always say. Rose suspected he just wanted to avoid getting another slap from Jackie. Too bad he wouldn't be able to avoid it this time around. By the time he and Jack finished installing that door, Mum would probably have Christmas dinner ready. That, and Rose suspected Mum would be trying to get the Doctor (and Jack) to help her with the new furniture she insisted on buying on Boxing Day to replace the ones that were damaged by that killer tree earlier.

"Speaking of, what about you and himself? You two were making eyes at each other back in that box of his. I swear, if I wasn't there, you'd probably be going at it like rabbits," Jackie said.

"Mum!" Rose turned beet red. "It's not… we weren't… I mean, we were just…. um…"

"Oh, don't give me that. I was a teenager once. I know what it's like. Surprised it took you this long, actually. I just wish you'd have picked a better time. Or at least wait until nobody's around."

Rose bit her lips nervously. She glanced at her mother unsurely and asked, "So, you're… you're okay with this?"

Jackie sighed and paused in her work. She frowned in thought, causing Rose to feel even more nervous. Finally, Jackie looked up and said, "Well, it's not like I have any other choice, do I? Either I approve or have you run off to Mars or God knows where else. At least this one's not going to run off and leave you in debt like that Jimmy bloke you ran off with."

"The Doctor's a good man, Mum," Rose tried to reassure her mother.

"Course he is. Wouldn't have trusted him if he wasn't, would I? Hell, even the bloody Prime Minister trusted him." Jackie shook her head in bemusement before turning back to the turkey she was preparing. "First time I've ever been around that many soldiers and I wasn't even naked."

"Eww, Mum! That was _not_ an image I'd like to have in my head!" Rose grimaced at the mental images her mother's words provoked in her (unfortunately) overactive imagination.

"Oh, don't be such a prude. You're living with two blokes yourself, so don't give me that holier-than-thou attitude, young lady!"

"Yeah, but… Jack and I are not like that. We're just friends," Rose countered.

"Really? Charming and handsome man like him? How'd you keep your hands off him, then?"

"Mum, I _really_ don't want to have this conversation with you," Rose looked away uncomfortably. Her mother and sex were not topics she'd like to discuss in the same sentence. Ever. That was just… wrong.

Jackie rolled her eyes, but mercifully refrained from any further innuendos and turned her attention back into the turkey instead. The next few minutes were spent in relative silence as Jackie finally finished preparing the turkey and placed it into the oven.

With the silence settling back in, Rose's thoughts were brought back to Mickey. The conversation they had back at Wharton Street didn't feel finished, but it looked as if Mickey didn't want to discuss it any further. Rose sighed.

Maybe her mother was right. She should have waited until after the holidays were over to break up with him. But what's done was done. Although, if she were really honest with herself, a part of her was relieved she finally ended it with Mickey. The relationship was already over a long time ago, but now they both could finally move on. And she could finally be with the Doctor without feeling as if she was betraying Mickey.

A part of her, however, felt sad at the loss of her best friend. She had known Mickey for as long as she could remember. They practically grew up together. He was like the brother she never had.

Rose sighed. She could only hope that Mickey would someday forgive her.

oOo

Not long after, Rose heard the familiar sound of the TARDIS from inside her bedroom. Eyes wide, Rose ran to her bedroom to check. He hardly ever materialize inside the apartment. She wondered why he chose to do so this time.

"He better not ruin the bed. I'm not buying another one!" Jackie yelled after her.

When Rose finally got to her bedroom, sure enough, there was TARDIS, sitting cozily between her pink bed and her dresser.

As the TARDIS doors opened, the Doctor stepped out while carrying what looked like two, long, metallic cylinders with a small control panel of sorts on them.

"What's that?" Rose asked while eyeing the two cylinders curiously just as Jack stepped out of the TARDIS to join them.

"Holographic projectors. Easy enough to install. Didn't want to be seen walking around carrying these, so I thought I'd move the TARDIS in here. That alright?" The Doctor answered.

"Yeah, s'fine. What's that for, then?" Rose asked.

"The door." The Doctor answered with a proud grin.

"Wait, what?" Rose blinked in confusion.

"We're just going to project a hologram of a door since you only need it until tomorrow, anyway," Jack explain.

"Hang on, you're just gonna put a fake door there?" Rose stared at them incredulously.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"What's the point of having a door, then, if it's not really there?" Rose pointed out.

"Oi! Just because it's a hologram, doesn't mean it's not solid!" The Doctor argued.

"31st century invention. Holograms were making a comeback. This one's one of the earlier, portable version," Jack said with a grin.

"Oh." Rose quieted down.

Taking that as consent, the Doctor and Jack proceeded out her bedroom door and set each cylinder on either side of the broken doorway. The Doctor peeked out the doorway to check if anyone was around, then entered a series of commands into the control panel on the cylinders. Then, after a brief whirr of his sonic screwdriver, the image of a solid, white oak door appeared in the doorway.

"So… this is solid?" Rose reached out and tentatively placed a hand on the door. Her hand met solid resistance as she touched the "wood". She gave it a few thumps. _Yep. Solid_.

"So, Inspector Tyler, do I pass your inspection?" The Doctor grinned at her in amusement.

"It'll do," Rose answered with a matching grin.

oOoOoOo


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Rose?" The Doctor spoke quietly, his voice trembling with obvious fear as he hovered closely behind Rose. He couldn't risk being heard, but the situation was getting desperate. There had to be a way out somehow.

"Hm?" Rose answered without looking.

"Are we done yet?" the Doctor said as he glanced around the room in trepidation as the crowd pressed in on them from all sides.

Rose chuckled and whispered, "Doctor, we haven't even picked out a sofa yet. One hour. Just one hour, I promise. Besides, if you run now, Mum's going to kill you."

The Doctor groaned. Shopping for furniture was not his idea of fun. It was beyond domestic. It was _hell_. That, coupled with a 70% off sale at IKEA and they've got a store far more crowded than a Michael Jackson concert. Why, oh _why_ did the Christmas tree have to destroy the sofa? And why did Jackie have to drag him along, anyway?

"Why couldn't you have the store deliver it to the apartment?" The Doctor protested outloud to Jackie.

"Have you seen their delivery price? Two hundred quid just to deliver a sofa? I'm not paying that much, not when I've got you!" Jackie answered indignantly.

"The TARDIS is not a delivery van." The Doctor scowled in protest.

"Give it up, Doc. We're already here, anyway," Jack patted his shoulders comfortingly.

The Doctor slumped his shoulders in defeat. How did he get into this mess again? Ah, that's right. _Rose_. If it weren't for her come-hither smile and promises of a delicious reward later, the Doctor would never have allowed himself to be dragged into this… this… horrifying example of domesticity.

He sighed. The things he did for Rose.

Jackie looked at sofa after sofa, but none of them was deemed acceptable in her eyes. They were either too expensive, too small, too big, too soft, too hard, etc. After thirty minutes of this, the Doctor was just about ready to bolt. He eyed Jack's vortex manipulator speculatively and wondered just how mad Jackie would be if he were to make a break for it right now.

Perhaps sensing his inner turmoil, Rose gently squeezed his hand, then turned to her mother and said, "Mum, can we eat? I'm kind of hungry."

Jackie glanced at her wristwatch, then shrugged when she noticed it was almost lunch time. "Yeah, sure."

The Doctor sighed in relief. _Thank you, Rose!_ He thought as he smiled fondly at his pink and yellow girl, always coming to his rescue, even from her own mother.

oOo

Naturally, the cafeteria was just as crowded as the showroom. The line was long and the Doctor was just inches away from stealing Jack's vortex manipulator so he could get away from here, consequences be damned. Jackie had gone ahead to look for a table for them, leaving Rose to pick out food for her mother. Fortunately, the line moved fairly quickly since the food here was served fast-food style. As soon as they got past the cashier, Rose craned her neck to look for her mother.

"ROSE! ROSE!" Jackie bellowed above the din while waving her hand frantically, causing several people around her to crane their necks to look at the crazy woman shouting in the middle of the cafeteria.

"Blimey, she can shout!" Rose muttered in mortification.

"That's _your_ mother," the Doctor said teasingly.

"Shut up." Rose nudged his shoulders. "Come on, looks like she found us a table."

They carefully weaved their way between the hungry throng of shoppers and towards a table Jackie managed to secure for them in the middle of the cafeteria. When they got there, however, Jackie wasn't alone. There was another woman sitting with her, about Jackie's age, with long brown hair that was starting to show streaks of gray.

"Guess who I found?" Jackie said to Rose while gesturing to the woman sitting across the table from her.

"Bev!" Rose greeted the woman warmly before setting down her tray of food onto the table. The Doctor and Jack followed suit and placed their trays on the table as well.

"Rose!" Bev rose from her seat and hugged Rose warmly. Bev pulled away slightly to have a good look at Rose. "Wow. You look amazing. Have you lost weight?"

"Maybe." Rose grinned. "Dunno, really. Haven't checked my weight in a long time."

"All that traveling must be doing wonders for you, then?" Bev said before noticing the two men standing next to Rose. Bev's eyes widened when she saw Jack. "And _hello_, who's this?"

"That's Jack, and this one's the Doctor," Rose introduced them.

"Hello, Captain Jack Harkness," Jack flashed his trademark charming smile while offering a hand in greeting.

"_Jack_," the Doctor admonished him. Honestly, did the man ever stop flirting for one second?

"Oh, I don't mind." Bev giggled. "I'm Beverly, but you can call me Bev. Everyone does."

Behind Bev, Jackie was rolling her eyes, causing the Doctor to almost roll his eyes as well. _Hah_. Hypocrite.

Bev's gaze switched to the Doctor and said, "I didn't know Jackie's dating a doctor."

_What?_ The Doctor's eyes widened in horror. Rose and Jackie started choking while Jack doubled over in laughter.

"What? What did I say?" Bev looked genuinely bewildered.

"I'm _not_ dating Jackie!" The Doctor held his hands up in front of him in an unconscious gesture to ward Jackie off.

"Oi! I wouldn't date you even if you were the last man on Earth!" Jackie replied. To Bev, she said, "He's _Rose's_ boyfriend."

_I am?_ The Doctor blinked in surprise. He glanced at Rose and noticed her cheeks redden slightly, but she didn't protest. Well, he supposed Jackie was correct, in a way. He and Rose were _together_ together. They just haven't really named what they were yet. Not that he cared. 'Boyfriends' and 'girlfriends' were human concepts, not one he particularly adhered to. He and Rose were together. That's all that mattered to him.

"Oh. Sorry." Bev looked somewhat sheepish at her mistake.

When the Doctor didn't answer, Rose answered instead, "S'alright."

They all sat down to eat. Bev had apparently bought food before Jackie did and was just about done when Jackie found her, but she stayed anyway to chat. Or rather, to interrogate the Doctor.

"So, Doctor, you haven't told me your name," Bev said.

"Yes, I did. I'm the Doctor," he replied.

"_Just_ the Doctor," Rose added for his benefit.

"What, just the Doctor? No name?" Bev frowned.

"Yep." The Doctor answered.

"Oh, leave him. He's weird like that," Jackie said while waving her hand dismissively. "By the way, I've been seeing Howard."

The Doctor blinked in surprise. Did Jackie just come to his rescue? The Doctor looked around. He hadn't accidentally fallen into a parallel universe, had he? Or was he hallucinating? What the hell was in that fish he was eating?

"What, Howard from the market?" Rose asked, either completely oblivious to the Doctor's bewilderment or she was purposely drawing attention away from him, he wasn't sure.

"Yeah. First he starts delivering to the apartment. And I thought, '_well, that's odd_'. And then it's a bag oranges, and then apples. A whole week, he kept this up. And then one day, he asked me out to dinner. So I thought, yeah, sure. Seems like a nice bloke. Why not?" Jackie explained.

Soon enough, the three women launched into a discussion on Howard, leaving the Doctor alone, absolutely bored to pieces, but somewhat glad that he was no longer being interrogated. Bev might be a friend of Jackie's, but that didn't mean the Doctor felt comfortable revealing his true identity to the woman. Besides, he doubted Bev would believe him, anyway.

oOo

After that, they went back to the apartment. The Doctor parked the TARDIS right in the corner of the living room this time since Jackie insisted on using the TARDIS to move the furniture she just bought at IKEA. By the time they were done arranging the furniture, it was already close to two o'clock in the afternoon. Knowing that the building manager was due to come and install the real door soon, the Doctor went and disabled the holographic door.

Rose could tell the Doctor was getting antsy to leave. So, as soon as everything was set up, she bid her mother goodbye and promised to call more often.

"Right, where to?" The Doctor asked as soon as Rose and Jack got back inside the TARDIS.

"We could go to Orta Prime. Especially in the 47th century. Always loved that place. The whole planet is basically a pleasure garden," Jack suggested.

"Coming from you, I'm guessing clothing is optional there?" Rose said.

Jack's salacious grin was answer enough.

"Ha! Nice try, Jack. You're not going to see me naked. Ever." Rose thwapped his arm playfully.

"Never say never, Rosie. And what makes you think you're the only one I want to see naked?" Jack said while eyeing the Doctor lustfully.

The Doctor grinned, then said, "No."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, I know a great three-way position that—"

"I've got an idea!" The Doctor cut Jack off with a voice that was a little too loud to be accidental. "How about a cold, snowy planet? Somewhere where you'll need at least three layers of clothes and be covered from head to toe to stay warm."

"I love a man who plays hard to get," Jack with a salacious grin.

Rose giggled. She knew Jack wasn't serious, so his playful flirting always amused her to no end. Although, a snowy planet didn't sound like such a bad idea right about now. They didn't get much snow in London, so a bit of snow would be nice every now and then. And by that, she meant _real_ snow. The kind that would blanket the entire land and not melt away before noon.

"How about we just set it at random?" Rose suggested.

"Living the dangerous life, huh Rose?" Jack said with a grin.

"Always," she answered with a matching grin.

"Okay. You said it. Random it is. Don't go blaming me if we end up in the middle of a Plaroxian slime festival," the Doctor said as he set the destination to random and initiated the dematerialization sequence.

"Eugh." Rose scrunched her nose in disgust. "Well if that happens, you're going out first."

"Nah. I'm a gentleman, me. Ladies first." The Doctor grinned.

"No ta." Rose stuck her tongue at him. "Besides, since when have you ever been a gentleman?"

"Oi! I can be a gentleman if I want to!" The Doctor protested.

The TARDIS groaned and landed, surprisingly, without the usual big boom.

"Did we land?" Rose asked in disbelief.

"Yes, we landed." The Doctor said while rolling his eyes.

"What happened to the usual bang?" Rose asked with a teasing grin.

"Oi! Are you just going to stand there or are you going to see where we are?" The Doctor said.

Rose grinned, then ran to the door and cracked the door open slightly. No slimy goo yet, so hopefully, the Doctor hadn't landed them in the middle of a slime festival. Bravely, she opened the door wide and stepped out. They were on a dock or a pier of some sort. Just a few feet in front of them was a wooden railing, beyond which were rows of Earth-style boats moored on the pier. And beyond that, a vast, blue ocean stretched all the way to the horizon. Looking back, she saw that the TARDIS was up against a long building that spanned the entire pier, but there were no marks on the doors and windows to indicate the name of the place.

"Where are we, Doctor?" Rose asked.

"San Francisco, 1992," the Doctor replied.

Rose laughed. "Out of all the random places we could go, we still end up on Earth?"

"Don't look at me, blame the TARDIS. _She's_ the one who chose the destination!" The Doctor said. The TARDIS hummed indignantly and slammed the doors shut on his butt.

"Oi!" The Doctor protested as he stumbled out of the doorway and rubbed his sore bum.

Rose laughed, then patted the TARDIS and said, "Sorry, Old Girl. We're just kidding."

Mollified, the TARDIS gave a small hum before quieting down. Moments later, Jack opened the door and stepped out.

"This looks familiar," Jack said as he looked around.

"San Francisco, 1992," Rose said.

"My kind of town!" Jack grinned.

"Look out world, Jack Harkness is on the prowl," Rose teased.

"Try not to break too many hearts," the Doctor added with a grin.

"Sorry, can't make any promises," Jack replied with a saucy wink.

Just then, Rose noticed several loud honking noises. It sounded like some sort of an animal?

"Wait, do you hear that?" Rose said.

"Hear what?" Jack asked.

Instead of answering, Rose decided to follow the sound while being completely oblivious to the two men who were running after her. As the sound grew louder, a strong, fishy smell wafted in the air. Rose scrunched her nose in disgust. She looked around and noticed a crowd gathering along the railings. They seemed to be looking out onto the water, which made Rose curious. What on Earth could be so noisy and smelly and yet still manage to draw a crowd?

Just as the Doctor and Jack finally caught up to her, Rose darted off again to join the crowd by the railings. Her eyes lit up when she saw the creatures resting on floating docks in the water.

"Sea lions!" Rose exclaimed in delight. This too, was new. Nevermind that they were Earth creatures, she had never actually seen a sea lion in the wild. Being a Powell Estate resident didn't exactly lend to much opportunities for sightseeing.

"Smells wonderful," Jack muttered while scrunching his nose in disgust.

"Maybe you should shower before you leave next time," the Doctor joked.

"Says the man who wears the same clothes every day," Jack replied.

"I changed my jumper!" The Doctor protested.

"Are they wild?" Rose asked, pointedly ignoring their bickering. They'd go on and on like that if she didn't interrupt them from time to time.

"Yeah. Used to hang around by the cliff house on the west side of the city, but after a big earthquake in 1989, they started moving here. Never left since," the Doctor explained.

Rose watched the sea lions in fascination. They seemed completely unafraid of humans. In fact, despite the crowd gathering around them, none of the sea lions seemed to care. She looked around and noticed a woman with short hair staring at her, but as soon as their eyes met, the woman turned away and shrugged. Rose frowned. What was that all about?

Whatever it was, the strange woman seemed to have dismissed it. Oh, well. There didn't seem to be any trouble at the moment, so maybe it was nothing.

After that, they backtracked a little and went into the shops. Rose ended up buying a bag full of saltwater taffy candies from the candy shop in the corner. They watched a magician perform on an open stage before continuing on to other stores. The more they went, the more Rose was convinced they were either in the 80's or early 90's. The clothes people wore looked horribly out of fashion by her time, but still modern enough to warrant jeans and t-shirt. The fact that she was the only person here wearing a hoodie seemed to confirm that fact. Everyone else was wearing baggy jackets.

After awhile, they moved on. They left Pier 39 and continued down the road and stopped from for awhile to watch a street performer doing a breakdance until Rose's stomach loudly announced that it was time to eat or suffer the consequences.

"I'm hungry. Let's go find somewhere to eat," Rose said while nudging the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded and turned away from the dancer they had been watching. As he turned he bumped into a woman who apparently had been walking fast without looking where she was going. She stumbled back slightly.

"Sorry!" Both said at the same time. The Doctor placed his hands on the woman's elbows to help her up and said, "Are you alr— Tegan?"

The woman blinked. It was then that Rose noticed that she was the same short-haired woman who was staring at her back at the sea lion habitat earlier.

The woman, possibly named Tegan, stepped back and frowned at the Doctor in confusion and said, "Huh?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, then stopped himself. Instead, he snapped his fingers and said, "Oh, that's right. I've changed since then. Probably why you don't recognize me."

_He changed?_ Rose frowned at this. What did he mean by that? She thought he didn't age. How could he have changed so much that this Tegan woman wouldn't recognize him?

"Look, I think you mistook me for someone else. I don't remember ever meeting you," Tegan said.

"Well not this me," he said. Again, Rose looked at the Doctor in confusion at this. What did he mean, 'this me'? How many 'hims' are there out there? Surely, the Doctor didn't have clones… did he?

And who was this Tegan anyway and why was her Doctor getting friendly with this woman?

"Doctor? Who is she?" Rose finally decided to speak up. Inwardly, she made a mental note to ask the Doctor about his so-called 'changes' and why he never told her about it.

"Doctor?" Tegan's eyes widened.

"Yep. That's me," he replied with a grin. Then, to Rose, he answered, "This is Tegan. Used to travel with me a few centuries ago."

Rose stiffened. Logically, it made sense that he must have travelled with someone else before her. He was, after all, 900 years old. But she couldn't help but feel jealous. The Doctor had never mentioned anyone else, much less a woman named Tegan. Was this what he did? Did he just forget about the people he no longer travel with? What about her? Would he one day forget about her too?

"_Centuries_?" Tegan's eyes widened. She shook her head in bemusement. "Been only eight years for me."

Tegan looked at the Doctor up and down. It was all Rose could do not to throttle the woman.

_Stop oggling my man_, Rose wanted to shout. What was she, invisible?

Tegan, completely unaware of Rose's deadly glare, grinned at the Doctor and said, "So you finally got rid of the celery stick."

_Wait, what?_

The Doctor grimaced. "Please don't mention the celery stick."

"What celery stick?" Rose asked in confusion.

"Tegan—" The Doctor glared in warning.

Ignoring him, Tegan smiled and said, "Oh, he used to wear a celery stick pinned to his coat."

An image of her glowering Doctor with a celery stick pinned to his leather jacket popped in her mind. Rose couldn't help it. She laughed.

"He what?" Rose said in between laughs.

"And a cricket suit!" Tegan added with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"A cricket suit!" Rose laughed, as did Jack.

"With a matching coat!" Tegan added gleefully.

"Oh, that's even worse!" Rose laughed harder. "Tell me you've got pictures!"

"Oi! Do you mind?" The Doctor protested. "And no, she doesn't have pictures."

"Spoilsport!" Rose stuck her tongue out at him. "Betcha I can find one in the TARDIS. Or maybe even get her to show me a hologram of you in a cricket suit."

"Don't you dare." The Doctor scowled at Rose, who grinned impishly in reply.

"By the way, Captain Jack Harkness," Jack stepped up and offered his hand in greeting. Rose shook her head in bemusement. Never one to stay in the background, Jack.

"Tegan. Tegan Jovanka," Tegan shook his hand.

"_Jack_." The Doctor narrowed his gaze in warning.

"I'm only saying hello!" Jack said.

"It's never just 'hello' with you," the Doctor said.

"I don't mind," Tegan said with a smile.

"Of course you don't mind. Nobody ever minds," the Doctor muttered while rolling his eyes. Rose laughed.

"Jealous, Doc?" Jack grinned.

"In your dreams, Jack," the Doctor replied with a matching grin.

"Don't worry, there's more than enough of me to go around," Jack winked at the Doctor.

"Like I said, buy me a drink first," the Doctor said jokingly.

"I like a man who plays hard to get," Jack said with a saucy grin.

Rose noticed Tegan staring at the two men in surprise and confusion. She couldn't help but smirk. Apparently, Tegan came from a time that was much more conservative than her own.

"Anyway, while these two are on their flirt-fest, I'm Rose Tyler," Rose finally introduced herself.

"_Flirt fest_?" The Doctor protested indignantly while Jack's eyes glinted in amusement.

Tegan laughed.

"So, do you live here?" Rose asked. The men stopped their flirting and turned their attention back to Tegan.

"No, I live in London, actually. I'm only here for work. Well, sort of. I'm a flight attendant. I'm on layover till tomorrow," Tegan explained.

"You got your job back?" The Doctor asked.

"It's a different airline. I'm working for British Airways now," Tegan replied. "What about you, Doctor? What are you doing here? Or did you get here by accident as usual?"

"Oi! I don't always go somewhere by accident!" the Doctor protested.

Rose coughed in a way that sounded like, "Cardiff", causing the Doctor to glare at her balefully.

"Oi! I arrive exactly when I'm needed!" The Doctor protested.

"Says the man who missed 1981 by 300 years," Tegan muttered.

"Ha! First time we met, he took me back home a year late!" Rose said.

"That was _one time_!" The Doctor grumbled.

"And then there was Cardiff. 1860, not 1869. Mind you, we ended up meeting Charles Dickens afterwards, so it's all good," Rose said while grinning at her Doctor, who was now pouting like a kid whose candy just got stolen.

"I've been pretty accurate since then!" The Doctor protested. He then turned to Tegan and said, "Anyway, we're not really here for any particular reason. Set the destination to random and ended up here."

"Well, I'm not really doing anything either at the moment. Mind if I tag along?" Tegan asked.

"Don't see why not," The Doctor replied with a grin.

"The more the merrier!" Jack said. Rose nodded as well. She may have been wary of Tegan at first, but after talking to the woman, she seemed alright. That, and she really wanted to know about the cricket suit.

So, Tegan joined them as they walked aimlessly around the pier. They stopped from time to time to watch a street performer do a break dance or a magic show. They were 'ambushed' by the infamous bushman, who was apparently a rather well-known homeless man who made a living by hiding behind bushes and jumping out to surprise people for a laugh. Jack may or may not have screamed like a little girl (not that he would ever admit to doing so).

By sunset, their stomachs began to growl. At the Doctor's insistence, they decided to buy food from the street vendors lining the sidewalk and ate at a round stone bench directly across the street, where many tourists were also sitting down to eat.

Halfway through their meal, a scream filled the air. Everyone froze, then looked around for the source of the sound. People started whispering to one another. Some of the people sitting around them wondered if someone had just been murdered.

"Sounds like it's coming from over there," Rose said as she pointed towards one of the buildings by the sea. It looked like a warehouse of sorts, though it didn't seem to be occupied at the moment. Rose, the Doctor, and Jack glanced at each other, then quickly got up. Tegan sighed and got up as well.

"I haven't even finished eating!" Tegan shook her head in dismay at her crab sandwich.

"Then eat faster. Come on!" The Doctor said as he ran towards the source of the screaming. The three humans followed suit while wolfing down their half-eaten sandwiches as they ran. (Hey, they're good sandwiches. It'd be a shame to waste them.)


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

They ran towards the warehouse and listened for any screams, but there wasn't any. The sun had already set by now, so it was getting rather dark. There were no street lamps on this side of the wharf, making it difficult to see. Even though it was full moon tonight, there wasn't enough light from the moon to light the dark alleys between the warehouses.

"Do you hear anything?" Tegan asked.

"No," Rose shook her head.

"Hope he's not dead," Tegan muttered.

"Sssh!" The Doctor held out his hand to shush them as he cocked his ears to listen. "Do you hear that?"

Everyone quieted down. As they did so, Rose finally noticed faint rustling sounds coming from the back of the dark alley. Just then, they heard footsteps behind them. They all turned and saw a few people had followed them as well out of curiosity. A policeman stepped out from behind the people and ran past them while withdrawing his gun.

The four watched as the policeman bravely entered the dark alley alone, then ran to follow after him. When they caught up to him, they saw the policeman staring into the dark alley with his gun drawn. Rose looked past the policeman and saw a tall figure covered in fur. It stood like a human, but had a long snout like a dog. At its feet was a crumpled figure lying in a pool of blood.

Tegan grimaced. Jack withdrew a small gun from somewhere on his back. The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver.

"Is that… a werewolf?" Rose asked out loud.

"Get back!" The policeman held his hand out to push them back while keeping his gun aimed at the werewolf.

The werewolf turned to them and growled. The policeman fired his gun, but the werewolf hardly flinched.

"Guns won't kill him! You've got to run!" The Doctor warned the policeman.

"I said, get back!" The policeman shouted and ignored the Doctor. The policeman fired again. The werewolf growled and leapt at the man. Jack fired his compact laser deluxe and hit the werewolf squarely in the shoulders. It yelped like an injured dog and stumbled backwards.

"What the…?" The policeman blinked when he saw the laser shoot out of Jack's gun. "Who the hell are you?"

"Jack! It's getting up!" Rose yelled as she saw the werewolf struggle back to its feet.

"Shit." Jack fired his gun again. The werewolf ducked, picked something off the ground, then vanished in a flash.

"What… what the hell…?" The policeman blinked. He looked around for signs of the werewolf, but it was gone.

"Where did it go?" Tegan asked.

"That… that looks like a transmat. Doctor?" Rose looked the Doctor unsurely.

"No, it's something else," Jack answered instead as he walked up to the crumpled figure lying in a pool of blood on the floor. They all walked up to see as well. It was a young man who looked like he was in his early twenties. His chest and throat had been slashed open by the werewolf. The man's eyes and mouth were wide open in frozen terror. He wore a thin jacket that hugged his figure. It struck Rose as odd. Somehow, that jacket didn't seem to fit with the current style.

Jack's jaws tensed. With a sad expression in his eyes, he closed the man's eyes.

"Jack? Do you know him?" Rose asked.

Jack took a deep breath, then said, "Only a little. He was a Time Agent in training. Just got started when I left. Guess he finally earned his vortex manipulator."

"Who _are_ you people?" The policeman asked. His gun was still drawn and was now pointed at Jack.

As if he suddenly remembered the policeman there, Jack turned to the man and said, "I have nothing to do with this, I swear."

"Yeah, what's this Time Agent you're talking about? And what the hell was that creature?" The policeman demanded.

"Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform," the Doctor answered instead.

"Don't you get funny with me!" The policeman turned and aimed his gun at the Doctor.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa! I swear, we mean no harm. We were just passing through!" Jack said while pocketing his gun and holding both hands up to show he meant what he said. "We have nothing to do with that creature."

"He's telling the truth. We're just tourists," Rose said.

"Yeah, tourists don't carry laser guns. Now answer me! Who or what the hell are you people and what are you doing here?" The policeman barked at them.

"We're just tourists! I swear! We're—" Rose said.

"We're time travelers," the Doctor cut her off.

"What?" The policeman looked at him as if he'd grown two heads. Rose glanced at the Doctor in surprise as well. Was he seriously going to tell the police the truth of who they were?

"From the fifty first century. This man here is a Time Agent. A former colleague of mine," Jack explained. "Please, we really had nothing to do with that creature. We're just here to have dinner."

At the word 'dinner', Rose waved her half-eaten crab sandwich at the policeman to prove Jack's words.

"Say I believe you for now. What was that creature? And where did it go?" The policeman asked without lowering his gun.

"Like I said, it's a Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform," the Doctor said.

"And what's that in plain English?" Rose asked.

"A werewolf." The Doctor said simply.

"A _werewolf_?" The policeman snorted and raised his eyebrow at the Doctor skeptically.

"There are werewolves in San Francisco?" Rose wondered out loud.

"No, and there shouldn't be. That creature's a long way from home," the Doctor said.

"It's alien?" Tegan finally spoke.

"Yep," the Doctor answered.

"Werewolves and aliens. You expect me to believe that?" The policeman said.

"A humanoid wolf just killed a man and disappeared. My friend has a gun that you apes haven't even invented yet in this century. What other explanation do you expect?" The Doctor pointed out. "Now, do you want to catch that werewolf or not? Cause the longer we stand here, the harder it'll be to track it down."

"You can track it down?" The policeman looked at the Doctor warily.

"Isn't that what I just said?" The Doctor said while looking at the policeman as if the man had just dribbled down his uniform.

The policeman hesitated, then slowly lowered his gun. "Fine. I'll believe you… for now. You are going to help me track that thing down and secure it."

"Fine by me!" The Doctor grinned. Rose exhaled in relief. At least they weren't going to get arrested today. Not that they couldn't easily get out if they wanted to, but it would be nice to spend at least one trip without being stuck in prison or in a room that's about to blow up.

"Now, come on! Time's wasting!" The Doctor said before grabbing Rose's hand and running out the alley. Jack and Tegan hurried to follow as well.

"Hey!" The policeman shouted before running after them.

The Doctor led them all towards the TARDIS and unlocked the door while everyone else waited behind him. When the policeman finally caught up to them, he paused in front of the TARDIS and frowned.

"A _police_ box?" The policeman stared incredulously.

"It's a disguise," the Doctor said with a pleased grin before opening the door and going in. Everyone else followed suit— well, everyone except the policeman, who hesitated and lingered outside.

"Oh, you've changed it," Tegan said when she walked in and looked around.

"Changed what?" Rose asked in confusion.

"The TARDIS. It used to be all white in here… and brighter," Tegan replied as she ran her hand along the console fondly.

Before Rose or Jack could ask what she meant, the policeman finally went in. As soon as he stepped inside, he paused, then gaped at the surroundings. His eyes widened. Then, he went back out and did the traditional circle around the TARDIS while the Doctor grinned.

"Oh, you're just loving this, aren't you?" Rose teased him.

"Of course I am! It's funniest part. Watch," the Doctor said as the policeman went back in. The policeman looked around the console room with eyes wide with surprise and wonder.

"It's bigger on the inside!" The policeman said while the Doctor mouthed those words behind his back. Rose bit her lips to stop herself from laughing. She glanced at Jack and noticed he was openly grinning in amusement.

"How is that possible?" The policeman asked.

"Alien technology," the Doctor said.

"You're alien." The police said.

"Yep. Now, are we just going to stand there or are we going to catch that werewolf?" The Doctor said before rushing to the console. The TARDIS closed the doors on her own, causing the policeman to whirl around in surprise.

Ignoring the flabbergasted policeman, the Doctor focused on the monitor while saying, "Jack, hand me your vortex manipulator."

"What for?" Jack asked, though he went ahead and handed it over to the Doctor without waiting for the response.

"Every vortex manipulator has a base code that identifies where it's manufactured. You're from the same agency, so his vortex manipulator should have the same base code as yours. We can use it to detect any jumps from any vortex manipulator containing that base code," the Doctor said as he entered some commands into the monitor.

"It's in Gallifreyan?" Tegan commented while raising her eyebrows.

"Galli-freyan?" Rose frowned.

The Doctor's jaws tensed. "My home planet."

"Oh." Rose quieted down and looked at him sadly. She never knew the name of his planet. He never told her, even when she asked back at Platform One. Granted, that was only her first trip with him at the time, so he might not have been comfortable baring his past to her just yet.

Tegan glanced at Rose curiously, but wisely chose not to comment. Instead, she turned to the Doctor and said, "It used to be in English."

"Nope. It's always been Gallifreyan. The TARDIS just chose to translate it for you back then," the Doctor said.

"Why doesn't she do that now?" Rose asked.

"I turned it off. Can't risk having you apes snooping around and damaging my TARDIS," the Doctor answered. Rose frowned. She'd learned long ago that when the Doctor resorted to insults, it usually meant he was hiding something.

"Apes? _Apes_? I'll show you who's an ape!" Tegan growled. Before she could do anything, though, the Doctor surprised them all by slamming his hand against the console.

"Ha! Scotland! 1579!" The Doctor said while grinning in triumph.

"Why Scotland?" Rose asked. "1579. What's there in 1579 Scotland?"

"Dunno. Let's find out!" The Doctor said.

The Doctor opened the doors, revealing green rolling hills beyond.

oOo

The evening was growing late. Many of the monks had already retired to their chambers after the evening prayer. As was his duty, Brother Niall circled the church sanctuary to extinguish the candles that lit the room. With a long, brass candle snuffer, he reached up to extinguish the candles that lined the walls of the sanctuary. As he reached up to extinguish the third candle, there was a frantic knock on the heavy wooden doors of the sanctuary that reverberated throughout the room. He dropped the candle snuffer and rushed to open the door. A gaunt-looking man clothes that had clearly seen better days stood at the door.

Brother Niall's eyes widened in surprise.

"Beathan? What's the matter?" Brother Niall said in concern. Beathan was a farmer who lived roughly two miles away from the church.

"Father, please, my son… h-help me!" Beathan pleaded before rushing back outside.

Curious and more than a little worried, Brother Niall followed outside to a wagon that Beathan must have parked just outside the church doors. Beathan stopped at the back of the wagon and waited for Brother Niall. When Brother Niall got there, he stopped in his tracks as his gaze fell upon a large bundle that was growling and thrashing violently in the wagon. The bundle was covered in dirty cloth and tied securely with ropes, but that's not what made him stop in his tracks. A pair of what looked like an oversized dog's hind legs stuck out from the bottom of the bundle.

"What have you got there, Beathan? A dog?" Brother Niall said as he eyed the hind paws.

"It's my son," Beathan said forlornly.

Brother Niall's eyes widened. "What do you mean, your son?"

With shaking hands, Beathan untied the rope at the bottom of the bundle and uncovered the cloth, revealing a monstrous figure tied with many ropes. It had the body of a man (or perhaps a young boy?), but with the head, arms, and legs of a demonic dog and was covered in fur all over.

Brother Niall's jaws dropped in horror. Wordlessly, he made the sign of the cross and prayed for help.

oOoOoOo


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I am so sorry for the long hiatus! This chapter just wouldn't be written, for some reason. I know it's been awhile, so here's a recap of the important stuff that's happened so far:

At the Game Station, Rose gave up the Bad Wolf. Doctor doesn't regenerate. Smut scene. Rose and the Doctor are now a couple. They go back to the Game Station to pick up Jack. Doctor asks Jack to keep his immortality a secret from Rose.

Back in 20th century London, Rose and Mickey broke up. Mickey's not happy.

Sycorax invasion, except Harriet works with UNIT. No Torchwood. Sycorax is defeated. Harriet lets them leave without shooting them down. Harriet gets to stay as Prime Minister. Mickey now works for UNIT.

Jackie finds out Rose &amp; the Doctor are together.

Doctor, Rose &amp; Jack ends up in San Francisco, early 1990's. Meets Tegan, a werewolf, and a police officer. Werewolf escapes using Vortex manipulator. Everyone, including the police officer, chases after the werewolf and ends up in 15th century Scotland.

**Chapter 8**

Everyone spilled out of the TARDIS and looked around. The sun was already setting in the horizon, but there was just enough light left that they could see green rolling hills all around. To the East lay a thick forest while the West was dotted with green hills that disappeared into the horizon. To the North, small lights dotted the top of the hill, suggesting a village or some kind of human settlement up ahead.

"Oh, I've missed this!" Tegan said as she looked around.

"We've moved!" The policeman exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, we have. Brilliant deduction! Give the man a medal!" The Doctor said while rolling his eyes. Rose thwacked his arm and sent an apologetic look towards the policeman, but said officer was too busy gawking at the countryside to notice.

"What?" The Doctor frowned at Rose in confusion.

"Rude," Rose whispered.

"But… that's impossible! We were just at the pier…" the policeman said while spinning around in disbelief, as if doing so would make the green hills around him morph back into the pier they just left behind.

"Yep. And now we're in 15th century Scotland," Jack said. "Welcome to time travel!"

"Time and _space_ travel," Rose corrected him with a grin.

"_Ahem_. I'm sorry. Time and _space_ travel," Jack said with a matching grin. Then, with a slightly more serious expression, he scanned his gaze across the countryside and said, "Let's see, if I were a werewolf, where would I go?"

"What, can't you people scan for aliens? Like Spock?" Said the policeman.

"Ha!" Rose grinned smugly and poked the Doctor's arm.

"What is it with you humans and Spock?" The Doctor protested.

"Well, you have to admit, he's a pretty good looking alien," Rose teased him.

"What am I, chopped liver?" The Doctor said with a pout.

"It's the ears. Mmm… those pointy ears…" Rose said dreamily, though the glint in her eyes told him that she was clearly joking.

"So you've got a thing for pointy ears now, hm?" The Doctor glared at her.

"Oh, yes. All those pointy… pointy-ness," Rose replied airily.

"That's not even a word," The Doctor said.

"Why, are you jealous?" Rose said with a raised eyebrow.

"Who, me? Jealous? Why would I be jealous of a pointy-eared, fake alien who, by the way, is nowhere near as clever as I am," the Doctor ranted.

"Yep. He's jealous," Jack said with a decisive nod.

"Oi!" The Doctor protested.

Rose laughed, then kissed the Doctor's cheek and said, "You're so cute when you're jealous."

The Doctor huffed in response. "Cute? Puppies are cute. Kittens are cute. _Time Lords_ are _not_ cute!"

Rose rolled her eyes at him, then said, "Fine. You're so _hot_ when you're jealous. Better?"

"Maybe. Could've sounded a little more convincing," the Doctor said with a pout.

Rose wrapped her arm around his neck and whispered, "You're really, _really_ hot when you're jealous."

"Yeah?" The Doctor replied with a smoldering look in his eyes as he placed his hands around her waist to draw her closer.

"Are they… _together_?" Tegan whispered loudly to Jack, her voice startling the pair out of their private little world. Suddenly remembering that the rest of the world existed, the Doctor and Rose sprang apart and blushed.

"Yep," Jack answered with an amused grin.

With her face still beet red with embarrassment, Rose spoke in a voice that sounded a little too bright, "_Anyway_! Werewolf! Where should we go?"

"Nice change of topic. Very smooth," Jack said with a teasing grin.

"Shut up!" Rose blushed and thwacked his arm in response.

"Don't worry, _he's_ just jealous," the Doctor chimed in while putting his arm around Rose and pulling her back to his side.

"Damn right, I am!" Jack replied with a good-natured grin, then added, "Which reminds me, if you ever feel like spicing up your sex—"

"Right! Werewolf!" The Doctor cut him off. "Anyone got any ideas?"

"Well, that looks like a village up ahead. Unless you've got a way to track that thing down, I'd say we go there and start asking questions," the policeman said while pointing at the village up North.

"See Rose? You don't always need Spock. Good man! What's your name, by the way?" The Doctor asked.

"Stanley," the policeman replied.

"Good to meet you, Stanley. I'm the Doctor. This Rose, Jack, and Tegan," the Doctor introduced the rest, who either nodded or waved in greeting.

Once introductions were done, the group set out towards the distant village. Nestled up on a hill, the village seemed farther than it looked. By the time they got there, the sky was already dark. The stars had begun to twinkle in the sky and the full moon was already shining brightly in the evening sky.

It was a quaint little village with stone houses and sheep sleeping in their pens. Somewhere in the back of the village, a bell tower peeked out of the rooftops of the surrounding houses. There were few people out and about, all dressed in dark clothing that had clearly seen better days. As they approached, the villagers dropped whatever they were doing and stared at them. Then, one by one, they rushed inside their houses and shut the doors.

"Friendly sort, aren't they?" Rose commented sarcastically.

"Knew I shouldn't have brought you along, Jack," the Doctor joked.

"Hey, I've charmed an entire village with nothing but a smile. And when I say nothing, I meant _nothing_," Jack grinned salaciously.

"Does it always have to end up naked with you?" the Doctor complained.

"Of course!" Jack grinned proudly.

Before the Doctor could reply, an animalistic howl tore through the night air. More doors and windows slammed as even the villagers in the distance rushed inside their houses.

"Sounds like our hairy little friend," Jack said. "And by the looks of it, these villagers know something's up."

"But these people ran before that howling even started. What are they afraid of? Us? Or the werewolf?" Stanley noted.

"Good observation," the Doctor commented. "I'd ask around, but there's no one to ask."

"We could start knocking on doors," Rose said.

"Good idea. Let's split up. Jack, you and Stanley go after that howling. Rose, Tegan, you two are with me," the Doctor said. Jack and Stanley nodded before taking out their guns and rushing off to find the source of the howling.

"And what are _we_ doing?" Tegan asked.

"We're going door to door. Come on!" The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her towards the nearest house while Tegan rushed to follow.

oOo

Rose followed as the Doctor led them to the first house on the right. They knocked on the wooden doors, but no one answered. So, they tried the next one, but no one answered, either.

"No one's answering!" Tegan complained.

"I know they're home. Could've sworn I saw an old lady go into this house earlier," Rose said.

"They're scared," the Doctor said as he glanced around at the now empty streets.

"Of what? Of _us_? Why would they be scared of us?" Tegan said.

"Yeah. We don't even look like werewolves," Rose said.

"Hmm… I don't know… I think you're starting to look a little hairy, Rose. When's the last time you shaved?" The Doctor joked.

"Oi!" Rose thwapped his arm. She glanced at the next house and started walking towards that one. "Well, you know what they say. Third time's the charm. Let's try that one."

They walked to the third house and knocked on the door.

"Go away! Leave us be, yeh demons!" An angry male voice shouted from inside.

"Oi! Do we _look_ like demons to you?!" Tegan shouted back.

"BE GONE! IN THE NAME OF THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, BE GONE!" The man inside the house yelled.

Stunned, the trio just stared at the closed door. Then, they sighed and moved onto the next one. And the next. And the next. Just like the first three houses, not one of them opened their doors to greet them. Some yelled at them like the third house did, but most didn't even answer.

"What is _wrong_ with these people?! Doctor, they're all acting as if we're some kind of… demons!" Tegan complained and threw her hands up in frustration as they walked away from the last house.

"Or werewolves," Rose added.

Suddenly, The Doctor stopped and spun to face Rose, causing her to stumble in surprise. The Doctor caught her and kissed her lips.

"Rose, you're a genius!" The Doctor said as he grinned excitedly.

"I am?" Rose said while smiling somewhat dazedly from the surprise kiss. When her brain finally caught on, she blinked and added, "What am I a genius for?"

"Werewolves! You said it! They think we're werewolves!" The Doctor said.

"Oi! I'll have you know, I shaved yesterday!" Rose said with a playful grin.

"I know. I was there." The Doctor grinned salaciously and raked his gaze over Rose's body.

Tegan coughed loudly.

Rose blushed and ducked her head in embarrassment while the Doctor cleared his throat and looked away.

"Anyway," the Doctor said while fighting his blush, "As I was saying, they think we're werewolves. But like Rose said, we don't look anything like one. So why would they think we are? Lupine Wavelength Haemovariforms aren't native to Earth. These people shouldn't even know werewolves exist, let alone the fact that a human can turn into one. But somehow, they know. Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe they've heard about werewolves before?" Rose offered.

"Yeah. Wouldn't be that surprising they know about it. Werewolf myth is pretty common in human history," Tegan said.

"By your time, yes. But this is fifteenth century. Before this time, stories of werewolves were rare in this part of Europe. The few that exists would've been suppressed by the church. Only the wealthy and educated would've known about it— and that's only if they've been overseas. But these people are simple farmers. Illiterate peasants with no access even to local literature, much less foreign ones. They shouldn't even know about werewolves. In fact, it wasn't until the fifteenth century that werewolf panic started spreading throughout Europe. And guess what century we're in right now?" The Doctor said.

Rose's eyes widened. "So the whole werewolf thing started from here?"

"Spread from here, probably. But how would they know about it? Think about it. Illiterate farmers with no knowledge of werewolves saw a bunch of strangers and suddenly thought, 'Werewolves!'. They had to have known about it from somewhere, except this is just a little out-of-the way village, far from any major trade routes. Unless you purposely go out of your way, most foreign merchants don't go by this village. The only foreign visitors would've been from the church. And you know how churches work in the medieval times. Anything weird, anything out of the ordinary gets suppressed right away. Keeps the population simple and "pure". But even if these people somehow got wind of the werewolf legends, just knowing the stories about werewolves shouldn't have caused massive panic like we saw today. They must've seen one transform," the Doctor said.

"Transform? You mean they really do transform from human to werewolf like in the stories?" Rose asked.

"Oh, yes! You see, Lupine Wavelength Haemovariforms are like a virus. Once infected, they'll take over the victims body. But on their own, they wouldn't have the strength to gain full control of their host. Which is why they need light. It's like coffee to humans. Certain wavelengths of light gives them an extra boost of energy."

"So, do they come out every night then? Not just full moon like in the stories?" Rose asked.

"Well, not necessarily full moon, but there needs to be enough light to give it a full energy boost," said the Doctor.

"Wait a second, the werewolf we're chasing is already in werewolf form. So, what, it came here and reverted back to human?" Rose asked.

"Could be. If it got here during daylight," the Doctor answered.

"Wouldn't sunlight kill them?" Tegan asked.

"You're confusing them with vampires. No, sunlight doesn't kill werewolves. At least, not the smart ones. Mind you, too much of anything will kill any creature, even one that lives on light. That's why they hide from sunlight. But they've got human hosts. If they're smart, they'll hide inside until it's safe to come out. That's why most of your werewolf legends say they revert back to human in the morning," said the Doctor.

"So, you're saying, that werewolf got here, transformed into human, and waited until the next, what, full moon or something to transform back into a werewolf?" Rose said.

"Yep."

"So… that means… you missed. By a few days. Maybe even a month or more," Rose grinned.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Tegan muttered.

"Oi! You try steering a ship that's meant to be driven by six people!" The Doctor protested.

"Six people? Really?" Rose said with a surprised look in her eyes. "Is that why you have to do all that complicated dance around the console?"

"I don't _'dance'_!" The Doctor bristled.

"Yeah, you do. If last night was anything to go by, I'd say you're a _fantastic_ dancer," Rose said with a lustful glint in her eyes.

"Am I?" The Doctor grinned with masculine pride.

"Oh, _yes_," Rose replied breathlessly. "Never tried it around the console, though."

"Now there's an idea," the Doctor said as he moved towards her.

"_Still_ _here_, you know!" Tegan rolled her eyes at the two lovebirds.

The Doctor stepped away from Rose and sighed. He turned to Tegan and said, "Tell you what, soon as this is over, I'm finding you a boyfriend."

"Is that your subtle way of saying I need to get laid?" Tegan narrowed her gaze at him.

"You said it, not me," the Doctor said with a grin.

"Why you…!" Tegan glared at him angrily.

"Okay, kids! Break it up. Or do I have to make you go to separate corners?" Rose said as she stepped between the two.

Tegan huffed and started stalking away.

"Oi! Don't wander off!" The Doctor called out, but Tegan kept on going. The Doctor sighed and said, "Why doesn't anyone ever listen when I say 'don't wander off'?"

Rose giggled and tried not to look _too_ guilty.

"And _you_, Miss-Jeopardy-Friendly, stop laughing. You're just as bad," the Doctor said while poking her arm.

"And you _love_ it," Rose grinned.

The Doctor grinned back, then kissed her on the lips.

"Come on, let's go before Tegan gets herself into trouble... again," the Doctor said.

"Why, does she get into trouble a lot?" Rose asked as they walked hand-in-hand to follow after Tegan.

"Let me put it this way: if you're the Queen of Jeopardy Friendly, she'd be the General," the Doctor said.

oOo

Jack and Stanley made their way through the deserted streets until they came to a church building surrounded by a graveyard at the back of the village. There was no activity around the church that they could see. In fact, there was no one around, though they could see through the church windows that the candles inside the sanctuary were all lit.

"No sign of any werewolves," Jack said while looking around.

"That howling definitely came from this direction. We should check around the back," Stanley suggested.

"Good idea," Jack agreed. They snuck around the church and walked through the surrounding graveyard. As they reached the back of the building, another howl tore the night air. The two men paused in their tracks.

"That sounds like it's coming from inside the church!" Stanley said.

Jack nodded. The two doubled back where they came from and ran towards the front doors of the church, but just as they were about to reach the front of the church, the werewolf burst out of the door and ran into the night air. Jack and Stanley's eyes widened. They took out their guns and began pursuing the werewolf. They followed after the werewolf as it ran towards the village square and disappeared behind one of the houses. Moments later, a woman's scream tore the air.

"Shit!" Jack swore as he and Stanley picked up their pace. As they entered the village square, Jack saw the Doctor and Rose running towards the house the werewolf had disappeared to.

"Doctor!" Jack called out as they ran up to the pair and jogged alongside them as they ran towards the house.

"Jack! The werewolf!" Rose said.

"I know. We saw it," Jack replied.

"Tegan's in there!" The Doctor said in alarm.

"What?" Jack's eyes widened in alarm. Stanley, on the other hand, raced past them and towards the back of the house.

"Wait, Stanley! Damnit!" Jack swore as he ran to catch up to the man, followed closely by the Doctor and Rose. Stanley, brave though he may be, was not equipped to handle a werewolf. His police-issued gun would be no match against a werewolf's thick hide. When they got around the back of the house, they saw Tegan waving around a pitchfork while cowering behind what looked like broken pieces of a horse-drawn wagon. The werewolf was closing in on Tegan when Stanley shot the creature from behind. The bullet bounced off the werewolf's thick hide without causing even a single scratch, but it was enough to distract the creature away from Tegan.

As the werewolf turned to Stanley, Jack fired his sonic blaster. The werewolf jumped aside, but wasn't quick enough to dodge the shot completely. It ended up grazing the werewolf's arm instead. The werewolf let out canine yelp of pain before leaping up to the rooftop of the house and running away.

"Are you alright?" Stanley asked Tegan as he lowered his gun.

"Yeah. Thanks," Tegan muttered breathlessly as she dropped the pitchfork.

"Stop! Morgan! Morgan!" A man called out from somewhere in the village square.

Everyone turned and ran back to the village square, where a middle-aged man was shouting after the fleeing werewolf while a priest held the man back.

"Morgan?" The Doctor asked as he approached the distraught looking man.

"My son… that's my son…" the man cried out. He looked into the distance where the werewolf had disappeared to and called out again, "Morgan! Let me go! That's my son out there!"

"No! Beathan! He's dangerous!" The priest held onto the man's arm.

Beathan crumpled to the ground. The Doctor knelt by the distraught father.

"What happened?" The Doctor asked with a voice laced with sympathy.

"My son… my boy… my little Morgan! He was such a sweet child. He can't be a demon! Not my son!" Beathan muttered while rocking to and fro.

"That beast you saw was a little boy once. Morgan. A sweet child, barely eight years in age. A demon took possession of him. He's been like that ever since. We've kept him locked up in the cellar at church, but he broke free just now," the priest replied. Then, he looked at the Doctor curiously and asked, "Who are you?"

"We're hunters. We've been tracking this creature down ever since it killed someone in our city," the Doctor said.

"Hunters?" Beathan looked up at this. Fear flashed in his eyes. He grabbed the Doctor's jacket and said, "Please, don't kill him! That's my son out there!"

"Hush, Beathan. We will find a way. God always finds a way," the priest reassured the man.

"God? Where is He? It has been months and my son is still trapped inside that demon! Have I not prayed enough? Have I not fasted enough? He has taken my son. My wife is now ill and on her deathbed. What more does He want from me? What more will He take?" Beathan said forlornly.

"Beathan!" The priest said in alarm. "Have faith. He will deliver!"

"Well, I'm not God, but I promise, I'll do what I can to help," the Doctor said.

Beathan looked up. Hope, confusion, and distrust mingled in the man's eyes as he looked at the Doctor.

"Can you save him?" Beathan asked.

"I don't know. Depends on how far gone he is. Lupine Wavelength Haemovarifoms take over their victim's bodies by slowly mutating the host's DNA and suppressing the host's brainwave patterns, even while its in its dormant stage," the Doctor answered.

"What?" Beathan blinked in confusion.

Jack shook his head in bemusement. As much as he loved the Doctor, the daft genius could be a little thick sometimes. Of course Beathan and the priest wouldn't understand a word the Doctor was saying. Scientific concepts like DNA and brainwave patterns wouldn't even be discovered for another four or five hundred years.

So, Jack decided to translate, "What he means is, the creature tends to slowly take over the mind and body of the host. While it's your son's body out there, his mind, er… his soul may have been completely gone. That body out there might be nothing more than a shell."

"So, Morgan's soul…" The priest started.

"Might already be gone," Jack said sympathetically.

Beathan's shoulders slumped.

"We don't know that for sure," Rose finally spoke up. "Your son might still be in there."

"She's right. If he's still in there, we'll save him," the Doctor said.

"Please… he's still in there. I know it! He didn't kill me when he ran. He knows me! My son is still in there!" Beathan said.

The Doctor nodded, then stood up. Jack followed suit.

"Right. We'll go get some supplies and be right back," the Doctor said as he got up and grabbed Rose's hand.

"Anything I can do to help?" The priest asked.

"Just keep the villagers away from the werewolf," the Doctor replied.

The priest nodded and said, "Very well. And thank you, Sir…?"

"Doctor. _Just_ the Doctor," the Doctor said with a grin.

"Thank you, Doctor, for helping us," said the priest. "We have been plagued by this demon for months. People are terrified."

"Right, well, we'll be off," the Doctor blustered, not used to being thanked. "We'll be back soon."

They set off on their way back towards the TARDIS. It was already dark out by now, even with the full moon shining above them. Thankfully, Stanley had a torch with him and used it to light their way, but it would still be a long trek back to the ship. Hopefully, the werewolf wouldn't attack anyone before they could get to it.

oOoOoOo


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

When they finally arrived back to the TARDIS, the Doctor ordered Jack to come and help him as the two set off towards the storage room.

When Jack came back, he dumped a pile of what looked like a futuristic-looking rifles, which made Rose's eyebrows rise.

"I thought you said we're trying to save him, not kill him?" Rose said.

"It's not a weapon. Well, not exactly," Jack said.

"What is it?" Tegan asked.

"It's a containment field generator. We're not using this to kill wolfie, we're going to trap him," Jack said. "Here," he said as he tossed each rifle to Rose, Tegan, and Stanley.

"How does it work?" Stanley asked as he examined the rifle. It was silver, roughly the size of a normal shotgun. It had a handle and a trigger, just like a shotgun, but instead of a hollow barrel at the end, it had a rectangular, reflective cover. In the middle of the gun were two switches, each labeled with an alien symbol.

"Like this," Jack flipped one switch, then the other, then aimed the gun at Rose and pressed the trigger. A cylindrical force field appeared around Rose, trapping her in place.

"Oi!" Rose protested. She poked the force field experimentally and got a nasty jolt in response.

"Ow! Coulda warned me!" Rose said as she hastily pulled her hand back and glared at Jack.

"Oops. Sorry. Forgot about that," Jack said with an unrepentant grin. He flipped the second switch and fired the gun at Rose again. This time, the force field around her disappeared with a loud hum.

Rose raised her eyebrow. She glanced at her rifle. _Let's see, Jack pressed this switch first, then the second one…_

Without warning, Rose fired the gun at Jack. The force field appeared around Jack, who was moving around at the time and accidentally hit the edge of the force field with his elbows as he skidded to a halt. He hissed and pulled his elbows back.

"Hah!" Rose said triumphantly.

"Okay, okay! We're even. Now get me out," Jack said.

"You didn't say 'please'," Rose said in a sing-song voice.

"Rose, will you _please_ get me out?" Jack pleaded.

Rose smiled, then looked at the rifle again. She pretended to frown in confusion as she looked at the switch. It wasn't that hard to figure out, really. The first switch either turns the gun on/off or unlocks it while the second switch activates/deactivates the force field. However, Jack didn't know that she had figured it out.

So, with an innocent look in her eyes, Rose tapped her chin and frowned, then said, "How do you reverse this thing? This one…? No, wait, that didn't do anything. How about this? Nope. Sorry, Jack. Can't figure it out. We'll just have to wait until the Doctor gets here."

"Rooose!" Jack started to panic.

Rose laughed, then hit the switch to deactivate the force field and fired the rifle. Within moments, the force field around Jack disappeared.

"Ha ha. Very funny," Jack said with a glare as soon as he was free. "Play nice, missy, or I'll have to take your gun away."

"Nope. Too late. You gave it to me. I'm not giving it back!" Rose said while sticking her tongue out at him.

Just then, the Doctor came back with a syringe and a length of ropes.

"Right, here's the plan. We'll divide into two teams, like before. Jack, you showed them how to use the field gun?" The Doctor asked.

"Field gun?" Tegan asked in confusion.

"The rifles I gave you. 'Containment field generator' is too long, so most people just call them field guns," Jack explained.

"Okay. So, what do we do after we split up?" Rose asked.

"We hunt the werewolf down, catch it with the containment field. Then we'll wait till morning," said the Doctor.

"Why wait till morning? What are you planning, anyway?" Tegan asked.

"Cause I need a blood sample. And I don't know about you, but I'm not sticking _this,_" the Doctor held up the syringe, "Into an angry werewolf. Nope. We'll wait until he turns back into human. Much easier to handle."

After checking again to make sure everyone knew how to use the field guns, the Doctor went to the TARDIS controls and popped them over to just outside the village so they wouldn't have to make the hour-long trek back and forth.

When Beathan and the priest saw the Doctor and company, they looked up. They stared at the rifles with confusion.

"We're going to go look for him. You two better head back inside. It won't be safe once he starts running from us. We can't have people getting in the way," the Doctor said.

"W-what are those? Are they weapons?" Beathan said while looking at the rifles suspiciously. "But… but he's my son! You promised me that you will save him!"

"It's not a weapon," the Doctor said while holding the rifle up slightly. "It's just… something to cast a net with."

"A net would never hold him, Doctor. We've tried. He is much too strong," the priest warned him.

"Oh, this is no ordinary net. Trust me, it'll hold," the Doctor said with a secretive smirk. Then, he straightened up. With an authoritative voice, he said, "Head back inside. Make sure no one goes out until after sunrise. And no matter what you hear, don't come out. Stay inside and bar all your doors and windows."

The priest nodded.

"Come, Beathan. We will wait in the church," the priest said. "I will tell the others to stay inside, Doctor. Thank you."

Once Beathan and the priest were out of earshot, the Doctor turned to his companions.

"Jack, Stanley, you two cover the east side of the village. We'll cover the west.," the Doctor said.

Everyone nodded and split up accordingly. While Jack and Stanley went to the east to hunt the werewolf, the Doctor, Rose and Tegan started prowling around the west half of the village. They told Beathan and the priest to stay inside, where they would be safe, and promised Beathan that they would do everything in their power to save his son.

Nearly half an hour later, there were still no signs of the werewolf. With so many houses and horse carts, the werewolf could've been hiding anywhere— _if_ it was trying to hide at all. For all they knew, it could have gone into the forest or in someone's house (and probably feasting on whoever was unlucky enough to be living in it).

"Oh, there's too many houses! Why don't we split up? We'll cover more ground this way," Tegan complained.

"Have you watched horror movies? That's what they always do before the killer picks them off one by one. Nope. We stay together and watch each other's backs," the Doctor said while keeping his field gun aimed and ready in case the werewolf decided to jump on them.

"We split up from Jack and Stanley," Tegan pointed out.

"Yeah, but they've still got each other," the Doctor replied.

"Besides, they've probably got better fighting skills than we do. I know Jack does. And Stanley's got his police training," Rose said.

"Oi! I can fight just as well as they do!" The Doctor protested.

Rose laughed and said, "Oh, come on, Doctor. Let's face it. You're a lover, not a fighter."

"Doesn't mean I can't fight. Was quite good with Venusian Aikido, you know," the Doctor said.

"_Was_?" Rose asked.

Before the Doctor could reply, they heard someone shout for the Doctor. They turned around and saw Stanley running towards them.

"Doctor! We've got him. Down by the church!" Stanley yelled as he came running towards the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded.

They all turned to follow Stanley as he led them to the graveyard next to the church, where Jack was standing guard over the werewolf, which was kept inside a force field. The werewolf was growling madly inside the force field, but seemed to be staying away from the edges. The fur on its forearms were slightly singed, suggesting that the werewolf must have tried to break free from the force field, only to be stung the moment it touched the barrier.

"So, now we wait, just like that?" Rose asked.

"Yep. Just nine hours until sunrise," the Doctor said with a grin. "Hope you brought a book. It's going to be a long wait."

"Can't we wait in the TARDIS?" Rose asked.

"Then who's going to guard Fido here? Nope. You go on. Get some sleep. I'll stay here and keep watch," the Doctor said.

"I'll stay too. I was supposed to be on patrol, anyway. Got the night shift. Wouldn't have been able to sleep, even if I tried," Stanley said with a shrug.

"Then I'm staying too," Rose said stubbornly.

"Rose, it's fine. Go get some sleep. Stanley and I will keep watch," the Doctor said as he gently grabbed her shoulders and kissed her forehead.

"No. I can't sleep, either. I'll stay with you," Rose said.

"Well, I'm going to sleep. It was night time for me in San Francisco. So, I'll see you all in the morning," Tegan said. "Doctor, is my old room still there?"

"Should be. Though, you might have to walk a bit. The TARDIS has changed the layout a few times since you last travelled with me. Not sure if your room's still in the same place," the Doctor said.

"Well, if nothing else, I'll sleep in whatever room I can find," Tegan said before bidding them all good night.

oOo

Despite Rose's best efforts, she did eventually fall asleep— against a tombstone, no less. Her ten year old self would've been shrieking in horror at the thought of sleeping among corpses and a werewolf. But her ten year old self didn't have a sexy nine-hundred year old Time Lord to keep her company (and a rogue Time Agent and a policeman, but that's beside the point). The men, on the other hand, managed to stay up the night.

Rose stirred when she felt someone nudge her. She blearily opened her eyes and yawned. Her back was stiff and cold from sleeping against a tombstone all night.

"Rose," the Doctor whispered and nudged her again.

"M'awake," Rose mumbled sleepily and opened her eyes. The sun was rising, bathing the graveyard with a surreal golden glow. Dimly, she noticed the werewolf inside the force field shaking violently. Rose's eyes widened.

"What's happening?" Rose asked.

"He's transforming. Back into human," the Doctor answered. As he did so, he took out a length of rope from his bigger-on-the-inside pockets and nodded to Jack and Stanley to get ready. Jack held his sonic blaster out while Stanley kept his field gun trained and ready at the werewolf.

Rose stood up and watched in horrified fascination as the werewolf twisted violently inside the force field. Gradually, the fur receded and the snout grew smaller and smaller until it was flat on his face. The werewolf began to shrink. He grew shorter and shorter while the fur receded completely and turned back into human skin. When the transformation was complete, a pale, naked young boy, no older than eight or nine years old, was left curling and shivering in his place.

The Doctor nodded at Stanley, who then disabled the force field. While Jack kept his sonic blaster trained at the boy, the Doctor leapt at the boy and tied the rope snugly around him while the boy thrashed and growled at the Doctor. But the transformation had left the boy in a weakened state. Soon, his thrashing slowed down as tiredness began to catch up to the boy. Within a few minutes, the boy finally stopped struggling and started to nod off, though he seemed to be fighting not to fall asleep.

Now that the boy had calmed down, Jack grabbed him and held him steady while the Doctor took out the syringe he'd been keeping in his pockets and drew a blood sample from the boy.

"Bring him into the TARDIS. Don't untie him. He might look human now, but the wolf's still in control," the Doctor said.

They herded the boy inside the TARDIS. As soon as they were inside, the Doctor led them all to the medbay. The Doctor soon set to work and placed the blood sample in a petri dish and set it under a microscope. While the Doctor examined the blood, Jack and Stanley kept a tight grip on the boy.

While the Doctor was examining the blood, Tegan walked into the medbay, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Jack said with a grin.

Tegan yawned in response and said, "What'd I miss? And who's this?"

"That's our werewolf, Morgan, Beathan's son," the Doctor replied before turning back to his microscope. Not long after, the Doctor's eyes widened in realization.

"It's not a lifeform!" The Doctor exclaimed in surprise.

"What do you mean? It's not a lupine-whatever-thingy you were talking about yesterday?" Rose asked.

"Nope. Something else entirely. It's not even alive. See, even a photonic lifeform have some sort of DNA pattern traceable in their system somewhere, usually observable in the biophotons they emit. But this… there's nothing. No traces of a helix or biophotons. What I did find, is a series of binary codes embedded in the nucleotide," the Doctor said in lightning fast speed.

"Huh?" Rose blinked. This was way too early for his scientific babbling. She hadn't even had her morning tea yet. Her brain needed a healthy dose of caffeine and danger in order to function properly. They hadn't even had their daily run-for-your-life routine yet. And that werewolf hardly counted as danger now that it was properly contained.

"It's a virus, Rose. A _computer_ virus!" The Doctor said with his usual manic grin.

"But… it's in the blood. How can a computer virus be in the blood?" Rose frowned in confusion.

"You apes. Always trying to drown yourself in illusion. You've got virtual reality in the 21st century, but that's nothing compared to what you'll have in the 34th century. They've got games injected directly into your bloodstream, tricking your brain into feeling everything you're seeing. It's virtual reality at its finest. But oh, you didn't stop there. You brilliant, stupid apes had to come up with 'mods'. Someone, somewhere, invented a program to modify an existing game to mimic the behavior of a Lupine Haemovariform Wavelength, turning an ape into a wolf," the Doctor said.

"_Human_, Doctor. The word you're looking for is _human_," Rose said while shaking her head patiently. "So, this thing is a computer virus?"

"Yep." The Doctor nodded. "And you know how you get rid of computer viruses?"

"Antivirus?" Rose said unsurely.

"Antivirus!" The Doctor grinned before taking his sonic screwdriver out and pointing it at the blood in the petri dish. Once done, he set the petri dish back under the microscope, then grinned.

"Fantastic!" The Doctor said with a smug look.

"What did you do?" Tegan asked.

"Modified the program to delete any traces of itself. It's gone now. Completely gone," the Doctor said. He took his sonic screwdriver, walked over to the boy. By now, tiredness had fully caught up to the boy. He was sound asleep and slumped against the wall between Stanley and Jack.

Without waking the boy, the Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the boy's heart and held it steady for a few seconds.

"That should do it. Give it about a minute for the antivirus to circulate around the body, but he should be fine afterwards," the Doctor said after he was done.

"Funny, I've heard about those immersive games from the 34th century. They were banned by my time. Too many hackers and people claiming that they were being hacked while committing a crime. Never thought one of them might end up spurring the werewolf myth in the 15th century," Jack shook his head.

"So these games, it takes complete control of all your actions?" Rose asked. She couldn't imagine why anyone would do that to themselves. It was one thing to lose yourself in a video game, but to completely surrender all your free will to some computer program?

"It shouldn't if you leave it at factory default. But like the Doctor said, lots of people try to modify their games, make it more immersive or able to do stuff the original programmers never intended— or just to cheat, in general. While most of the mods are okay, there are some out there that are downright nasty, either on purpose or just the product of shoddy programming that weren't properly tested before it was released to the public," Jack answered.

"I'll never understand computers," Stanley shook his head. "I can't even program the VCR, let alone play a video game. My son, on the other hand, has a whole collection of computer and Nintendo games. Every year, that's the only thing on his Christmas list: a new video game."

"Mickey used to play Nintendo a lot when we were kids," Rose said with a wistful smile. "Oh, his gran would get so mad if she found out he'd been playing for hours on a school night. She would take his Nintendo away until he finished his homework. But then he'd sneak out to my apartment instead so he could watch the telly. Oh, she used to drag him home by the ears!"

"You have Nintendo? I thought you're alien?" Stanley asked her in surprise.

"_He_ is," Rose said while pointing at the Doctor. "I'm not. I'm human. From 2005. Jack's from the 51st century. And Tegan's from your time."

"2005? Anything interesting happen between my time and yours?" Stanley asked.

"Oi! No spoilers! Stop fishing for future information!" The Doctor admonished him.

"Just traveling with you is one big spoiler in and of itself, Doctor," Rose reminded him. Tegan nodded in agreement.

"I try to keep you away from major spoilers!" The Doctor said defensively. "Besides, I try to stick to the distant future. That way, it won't make much difference if you knew. Your time and Stanley's too close together. So, no discussing future events."

"What about 2012?" Rose reminded him without mentioning Utah since that was, technically, still in Stanley's country (and not too far away from his time period, either).

"_That_ was an accident," the Doctor replied. "Besides, nothing major happened. Well, nothing that would be in the newspapers, anyway."

"What happened in 2012?" Stanley asked.

"Stanley, what did I tell you? No fishing for future information!" The Doctor said. "You'd still be alive in 2012. Don't want you mucking about and creating a paradox."

Stanley rolled his eyes and shook his head, but mercifully decided to let it go.

"Right. The virus should be gone by now," the Doctor said as he took a clean syringe from a cabinet and walked over to the boy. He drew another blood sample and placed it under a microscope. About a minute later, the Doctor declared with a triumphant grin, "Gone. Completely gone."

"So, no more werewolf?" Rose asked.

"Shouldn't be," the Doctor said.

Rose frowned. Something wasn't adding up. "Hang on. You said virus. Viruses don't migrate from one person to the next. Even if you get infected, the other person would still be sick. And Morgan is from this century. So… what about the one we were chasing from San Francisco?"

"Oh." The Doctor muttered as his eyes widened in realization.

"What? What is it?" Tegan asked in confusion.

"Rose is right. This is a virus. It won't migrate from person to person. It'll just copy itself into another person. So we've got two werewolves running around," the Doctor said. "And Morgan doesn't have a vortex manipulator on him. The original is still out there, somewhere."

At that, Rose and Jack turned to look at the boy's wrists. It was smudged with dirt and dried blood, but otherwise completely devoid of any vortex manipulators or leather straps.

"So, back to the chase, then?" Stanley asked.

"Yep. As soon as we return Morgan here to his dad," the Doctor said.

oOo

They carried the sleeping boy to his father, Beathan, who was waiting anxiously in the church sanctuary along with other priests. Judging by their bleary eyes and the lit candles all around the sanctuary, they must've held a prayer vigil all night.

"Morgan! My boy!" Beathan rushed to the boy.

"Beathan, wait!" A priest held him back.

"Don't worry, it's fine. He's cured now," the Doctor said as he handed the sleeping boy over to Beathan, who took and carefully laid him down on one of the pews.

"Morgan? Morgan, it's me, your Da," Beathan said with shaky voice as he tried to wake the boy up.

The boy stirred. He blinked blearily. As he opened his eyes, several of the priests stepped back warily, as if they were afraid the boy would strike at them.

"…Da?" Morgan said in a quiet voice.

"Oh, my boy! You remember!" Beathan cried and held his son tight in his arms.

"Da!" Morgan began to cry as well. "I had a nightmare! My hands! They were moving on their own. And… and… there was blood…"

"Sssh. Ssh. It's alright. It's over," Beathan whispered as his son started sobbing in earnest.

"Is it gone? Truly gone?" The priest who had stood with Beathan in the village clearing earlier said as he approached the Doctor.

"Completely. He shouldn't transform anymore," the Doctor said.

"Oh, praise the Lord!" The priest threw his hands in the air in praise. The other priests murmured in prayer, some kneeling down before the brass cross at the center of the back wall in gratitude.

"How?" The priest asked. "We've prayed for months, with no answer. We feared Morgan was truly lost."

"It's a disease, actually. Figured that out while we were examining him. Luckily, I've got the cure," the Doctor said. Well, not exactly a disease, but close enough. He doubted a 15th century priest would understand the complexities of a computer virus.

"What manner of disease would transform a man into such a beast?" The priest said in bewilderment.

"One that should never have spread in the first place," the Doctor said with a disapproving frown. To the priest, he said, "Father, the one we were originally hunting wasn't Morgan. There was another one."

The priest nodded and beckoned for the Doctor and his companions to follow him. He led them to a back room, away from Beathan and Morgan's earshot. There, the priest began his tale.

"Three months ago, a stranger came to our village, caked with blood and dirt and completely naked save for a single, leather wrist band on his arm. We thought he had been robbed by a highwayman. So, we took him in, cleaned him up, clothed him, and offered him a place here in our church. That night, a strange beast started roaming our village. Half man, half wolf, he was terrifying, but I'm sure you know that already. You've seen the like last night," the priest said.

The Doctor nodded and urged the priest to continue.

"It came to Beathan's farm first. Morgan was out by the sheep pen when it happened. It bit the boy. Beathan came running out when he heard his son cry. He started shouting to drive the beast away. It didn't leave, but it was enough to make it let go of Morgan. His neighbors heard the commotion. They all came out, brandishing pitchforks and torches to drive the beast away, but it was too strong. It killed two of our men. The rest of them fled and locked themselves in their houses. No one dared to come out. The next morning, the beast was gone, but so was the stranger we had taken in the day before. His bed was already cold by sunrise. We thought he must've left early in the night. We feared the beast might have taken him, but there was no body. At the time, we didn't realize that the stranger and the beast were, in fact, one and the same. One month later, Beathan came to me with the very beast we had taken in last night tied in a rope and covered in cloth— or so I thought," The priest paused before continuing.

"It was his son, Morgan," the priest said while shaking his head sadly, "Beathan only managed to subdue him because Morgan hated mistletoe and would faint if he were to touch one. It was only when the beast transformed back into Morgan in the morning that we realized the stranger we had taken in the month before was in fact, the first beast, for Morgan could not have been the original beast when we all saw the very beast attack Morgan that first night. Somehow, that beast's bite had transferred the curse onto Morgan. It's as if a demon had taken over him. By day, he growls and spittles like an animal. At night, he speaks, but not with his own voice. It was as if a demon was speaking through him. He would speak of conquering the land. Him! A boy no more than eight years old! Then, the next full moon came and he transformed into the beast once more. We've kept him locked up in the cellar, but he broke free last night," the priest completed his tale.

"What happened to that stranger? Or the first beast?" The Doctor asked.

"We have neither seen nor heard either form since that night," the priest answered. "Perhaps he truly had left the area."

"This stranger, what did he look like?" Stanley asked.

"He's young. Maybe no more than twenty or twenty-five years in age. He's thin. Very pale. He's quite tall. Taller than you. With short, wavy brown hair. I'm afraid, that is as much detail as I could give you. I haven't the skill to draw his likeness. Last time I saw him, he was wearing one of our monk's brown robes," the priest answered.

"Thank you, Father," the Doctor replied.

"Thank _you_, Doctor. For the past three months, we've lived in fear of this beast. Where people used to sing and be merry at night, there was now fear and closed doors. We used to be a friendly folk, welcoming to all who may pass through our village. But now, we look upon all strangers with fear and suspicion. Perhaps, with the beast gone, we will go back to the way we used to. I pray you will find the first beast and cure him as well," the priest said.

"So do I, Father," the Doctor replied with a nod. "Well, we must be off. Still have one more to hunt."

The priest nodded. "It will be another long search for you and your companions, Doctor. We shall give you some provisions for your journey. It is the least we could do after what you've done for us."

"Nah, no need. Thank you all the same. We've got more than enough provisions," the Doctor said. "We'd best be moving on. No telling how far that first beast had gone by now."

The priest looked at him with awe. "You are a good man, Doctor. All of you," the priest said to his companions as well. "May the good Lord bless you and guide you on your hunt."

"Thank you," the Doctor replied before heading back to the sanctuary along with the rest of his companions.

When they came back to the main sanctuary, Beathan stood up and went to the Doctor.

"Thank you, Doctor. I can't even begin to repay you for bringing my son back. He remembers me now! Before, he would do nothing but growl at me. But my boy is back! He speaks again! Thank you! Thank all of you!" Beathan said to the rest of the Doctor's companions.

They bid their farewells then. Beathan offered to pay them with silver coins and food, but the Doctor refused, saying they weren't seeking any payments.

Once they returned to the TARDIS, the Doctor scanned the area again for any hints of vortex activity.

"I don't see any. Trail's gone cold. Might have to go back three months and re-scan the area," the Doctor said before hitting the dematerialization sequence. Instead of rematerializing back to three months ago, the Doctor let the TARDIS drift in the vortex.

"Right, it's been a long night. Don't know about you, but I'm not chasing after a werewolf half asleep. So, why don't we get some rest?" the Doctor said.

"But what about the werewolf?" Stanley asked. "We can't just sleep while it's still out there!"

"Stanley, I've got two words for you: _time machine_. We can stay here for a week and still get there on time," the Doctor said. "Jack, help Stanley pick out a room, will you?"

Jack nodded and led Stanley away to pick out his own room.

"Never thought I'd be back in the TARDIS again," Tegan said while smiling in bemusement.

"Did you find your old room?" Rose asked curiously.

"I did, actually," Tegan replied, surprise evident in her voice. "It even looked the same. You know, I didn't even realize I left my purse here until I found it on my dresser last night. But my room's further away now. It used to be near the console room. Now I've got to go down two flights of stairs."

"Do you want me to move it?" The Doctor asked.

"No, it's alright. I won't be staying long, anyway. Don't get me wrong, Doctor, I missed this, traveling with you, but this life is not for me anymore," Tegan said.

"Why did you leave?" Rose asked.

Tegan sighed and said, "Blame it on the Daleks."

"Daleks?" Rose's eyes widened in alarm.

"Long story. I'll tell you some other time," Tegan replied with a stiff smile. "Well, if we're not chasing another werewolf anytime soon, I'm going back to bed. The TARDIS woke me up with a loud alarm this morning. I swear, if it weren't for the werewolf, I'd have thrown something at the wall just to get that ship of yours to shut up."

The TARDIS blew a raspberry at Tegan's comment.

Rose laughed and said, "She only did it so you wouldn't miss what happened this morning."

"I know. I know. But I still hate alarm clocks," Tegan said with a wave as she walked away and disappeared into the corridor leading away from the console room.

Now that they were finally alone again in the console room, the Doctor turned to Rose. He grinned. A hungry look flashed in his eyes as he placed his hands on her waist and drew her into his arms.

"Now, about that 'dancing around the console'," the Doctor said as he captured her lips in his.

Rose giggled. She wrapped her arms around him and said, "The others could walk in at any moment."

"I know," the Doctor said with a smirk.

Rose grinned. She pulled him down in a hungry kiss. The Doctor groaned and pushed her against the console. He nipped lightly at her lower lip before trailing soft kisses down her neck and onto the crook of her shoulders. His hands roamed down her side and slipped underneath her shirt. As his fingers grazed her nipples, Rose drew a sharp breath and struggled not to moan. She didn't want their other companions to hear.

He unbuttoned her jeans and slipped a hand inside. He began to massage her clit through her panties. All thoughts of their companions fled from Rose's mind. She moaned and bucked against his hand. The Doctor pushed her panties aside and slipped a finger inside. Rose moaned loudly, but the Doctor drowned her moans in a hungry kiss. Heat pooled between her legs. She gripped his sleeves tightly as he rubbed circles around her clit in a frantic pace.

She was close. So close. _Not yet_, she thought. She needed him inside her first.

"Doctor, I need you. _Now_!" Rose whispered frantically.

Lust filled his eyes at her words. The Doctor withdrew his hand and kissed her one last time before tugging her jeans down. Desperate for his touch once more, Rose kicked off her jeans, not caring where it landed.

"Turn around," the Doctor said as he placed his hands on her hips and turned her around to face the console. He spread her legs wide. She heard the shuffle of fabric as he pulled his trousers down. She felt him pull her panties aside and line his erection against her. Then, slowly, he pushed in. Rose moaned loudly as she felt him fill her completely.

"Oh, Rose…" the Doctor moaned as he increased his pace. He pumped in and out of her, sending waves upon waves of delicious friction vibrating between her legs. Rose gripped the console as he pounded her from behind. Heat began to build inside her. She could feel her orgasm building.

"Doctor," Rose moaned before letting go. Her body thrummed with pleasure as waves of orgasm reverberated between her thighs.

The Doctor groaned against her. He increased his pace, causing her moan loudly as her oversensitive clit rubbed against him. Then, he let out a loud groan and pushed up against her. She felt warm liquid pooling inside her as he came.

Breathless, they stood still for a moment, savoring the closeness for just a few more seconds before reluctantly pulling away. As Rose turned to face him once more, she was met with his soft gaze.

"Beautiful," he whispered in a daze, as if he hadn't meant to say it outloud.

"For a human?" Rose said with her tongue peeking out between her teeth.

"For anyone," he replied before kissing her lips tenderly and whispering, "I love you."

"I love you too, Doctor," Rose said as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back.

oOoOoOo


End file.
